Fallen Hero
by Dark Satirist
Summary: Nathan gets drafted for war, but he doesn’t leave. Instead, unknown to anyone, Lucas leaves in Nathan’s place to save Haley from losing her husband. Everyone thinks he’s with Peyton in California, because he disappeared the same time she left. Complete!
1. Drafts and Arguments

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters. They belong only to Mark Schwan, CW and to the actors.**

* * *

_**The River Court**_

_**11:55PM**_

It was close to midnight yet again on the River Court as Nathan sat on the picnic tables, staring out at the river, contemplating what he should do about the draft notice he had received the day previous. He was to report for duty in three days time and he had a lot of things to do before then. One was to spend sometime with Lucas who had just come out of his coma less than three weeks ago after having suffered through two serious heart attacks, a broken wrist, a cracked skull, and two broken ribs, yet somehow, was already getting ready to go back to college, where he would return to the day after tomorrow. Nathan still hadn't told him about the draft letter yet. The only two people who knew about it outside of Nathan himself were Deb and Haley, both of whom were there when he received the draft letter.

Footsteps were heard behind Nathan, signaling Lucas's approach. The younger Scott turned to him, feeling strangely out of place.

"You going to continue to ignore me for the rest of the summer or are you going to go back to talking to me again?" Lucas asked, sitting next to Nathan.

"Lucas, I have a lot going on right now," Nathan protested. He looked over to see Lucas's eyes twinkling happily in the moonlight.

"I was kidding, Nate," he said. "I kind of have a lot going on right now, too. My mom's thinking about moving."

"Where to?" Nathan asked, stunned by the revelation. If Karen moved, it meant that when Lucas came home from college, he wouldn't be coming home to Tree Hill.

"Wilmington or Charlotte. It depends on where she can get a job," Lucas said, staring moodily out at the river, a brooding look entering his eyes. "She told me this an hour ago. I am still making sense of it. I don't even know why she wants to move."

"Sucks, man," Nathan said sympathetically, his mind still wondering what he should do about the damn draft letter.

"Yeah, it does," Lucas said offhandedly. Turning to his brother he added, "So, looking forward to going back to Duke?"

"I don't think I'm going to go back, Lucas," Nathan said honestly, feeling now was as good as a time as any to tell him about the draft letter. Lucas's face held a mixture of confusion and anger.

"What do you mean, Nathan?" his voice was cold and angry, which scared the hell out of Nathan.

"I mean that I am probably not going back to Duke, Lucas. People drop out of college all the time," Nathan protested. Lucas glared angrily at him.

"Why do you do this? Why do you continue to waste perfect opportunities to make your life better and do something you enjoy doing? You have a _full scholarship _to Duke Nathan, to play basketball. Remember that sport? It's what you want to do! If you drop out now, then you're going to regret it for the rest of your life!" Lucas half-yelled, wincing slightly as his ribs protested to the loud tone and large amounts of air needed.

"Don't I have a duty to do to my country first?" Nathan asked quietly. Lucas's anger receded and his face turned into pure astonishment.

"You got drafted?" he said, his mouth falling open. Nathan turned away and nodded. "How long have you known?"

"Since yesterday," Nathan muttered.

"Does Haley know?"

"Yes, and so does Deb. They were there when I got the letter, telling me that I ship out in three days' time."

"You can't go, Nate. You have too much to live for here," Lucas said, pounding his fist against the palm of his hand. "Haley would die if anything happened to you, and James can't live without you, either." Lucas's voice grew strangled. Nathan guessed that he was thinking about their own father, the one that abandoned the elder Scott to be Nathan's dad.

"You don't think I don't know that?" Nathan said, his voice rising. Lucas looked at him. "I don't want to go! I want to go to Duke and play basketball, go to the NBA and then retire in five to ten years! I want to be there for my son and for my wife, both of whom who I know _I_ couldn't live without, Luke! But I _have_ to go."

"Do you?" Lucas asked quietly, making it Nathan's turn to be confused. He stared at his older brother in bewilderment that quickly turned to shock and anger as he figured out what Lucas was talking about.

"_You_ are _not_ going in my place, Lucas. That is out of the question and I refuse to allow you!" Nathan yelled. Lucas shook his head sadly.

"Nathan, you have Haley and James and a life to think about! I can finish my story and get it published anytime. Peyton's going back to Los Angeles to finish up at the record company and then moving in with her dad. My own mother is breaking her ties with Tree Hill and moving away. I have nothing left, Nathan. You have everything to loose," Lucas said fiercely.

"Did you already forget what I told you before the accident? About how if _you_ died then almost everyone in Tree Hill wouldn't be here? Most of us are here because of you. Peyton is! Haley is back here because of you, for god's sake!" Nathan yelled. Lucas shook his head again.

"She came back for you, Nate. You know that," he said honestly. Nathan sighed, feeling like punching his brother.

"I'm where I'm at because of you. Not the whole draft thing, but in Duke and with Haley, and with James," he said.

"And you still will be here because of me if I go for you," Lucas pointed out. "Nathan, you already said that you don't want to go and I for one, know that you pretty much can't anyways. I can!"

"What about your heart, Luke? What about the constant danger of being killed every freaking second? If you get shot, you could die almost instantly!" Nathan countered.

"Better me than you," Lucas said tightly, glaring at Nathan. "You're not going to win this, Nathan. I will go for you, whether you like it or not. Haley needs you here, right now, and I am not needed here."

"Yes you are!" Nathan yelled back. "You might not realize this, but your life is much more valuable than mine right now!"

"Nate, think about everyone that will be broken if you are hurt or killed!"

"You do the same! I'm not letting you go, Lucas! You are in much more danger if you go than I am!"

"Oh yeah, how?" Lucas demanded, knowing the answer but daring Nathan to say it. His eyes flashed angrily as Nathan closed his eyes for a second and then opened them.

"Why do you want to go so badly, Lucas?" he asked instead, surprising Lucas with the question.

"Because if I go, then you can continue living your life and being who you want to be!" Lucas said heatedly, barely giving himself to think.

"I'm not going to if it means costing you your own life."

"Nathan, it's not costing me my own life. Look, I'm going to be an English major and become an author. What's better to write about then a solider that goes off to war for his family and comes back alive?"

Lucas was obviously trying to shed some humor onto the situation, but Nathan wasn't buying it.

"If you don't care about your own life, then what about Peyton's? Do you think she would be able to take anyone else leaving her for the rest of her life? She loves you, Lucas!" Nathan yelled.

"Then why did she sleep with Jake?" Lucas countered darkly. "You know what, fine, go off to war, break Haley's heart, leave your son without a father and throw away your entire life. I'm going home."

"Lucas, wait!" Nathan shouted as Lucas slipped off the picnic table and walked across the court. His brother spun around, his face visibly angry in the darkness.

"I'm leaving for UNC in three days time. If you change your mind, let me know," was all Lucas said, before continuing off towards his house.

* * *

**Tell me how you liked it! It's not perfect and there are probably some mistakes, but it's here! Happy Sunday! **


	2. I Don't Want To Go!

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.**

* * *

**_Scott Residence_**

_**9:00 AM**_

Nathan sat at the kitchen table, staring out the window, thinking about the occurrence at the River Court the night before with Lucas. Nathan didn't quite understand why Lucas wanted to go off to war, more than likely to prove something that he didn't need to, but Nathan wasn't about to let him.

That was, until he got a phone call from Karen ten minutes later.

"Hello? Karen?" Nathan asked, confused. Karen rarely called the Scott house, even with Dan out of it.

_"Nathan, have you seen Lucas? He never came home last night,"_ Karen's worried voice cut through the phone extension. _"Is he over there?"_

"I haven't seen him since last night at the River Court," Nathan admitted. A knock on the front door made him look up. "Hold on. Someone's at the door."

He slid off his chair and went to the front door, bringing the cordless phone with him. He looked out the front door's window and saw Peyton standing there, raising her fist to knock again. "Can I call you back when I have some news, Karen?"

_"If you see him, tell him I want him home immediately so I can kick his sorry ass,"_ Karen said, then hung up. Nathan pressed **end** on his phone and yanked open the door.

"Peyton, what the hell? It's like, nine in the morning!"

Haley walked into the living room, still in her pajamas and carrying James. Her hair was messed up from where she had slept and Nathan couldn't help feeling his heart lurch happily as he set eyes on his wife. She, in his opinion, never looked cuter than in the mornings.

"I just wanted to say good-bye before I left for California. My flight leaves in two hours," Peyton said, smiling sadly at James, Haley, and Nathan. "So, I guess this is good-bye."

"Have you seen Lucas?" Nathan asked. Peyton shook her head.

"No, I haven't seen him since last night," she said. "When he came over telling me that Karen was deciding whether or not to move away from Tree Hill. Why, is there anything wrong?"

"No," Haley inserted, making Nathan shoot a questioning glance at her. "We will miss you, Peyton. Have a good time in California."

"I will," Peyton said, hugging Haley. She kissed James on the cheek and hugged Nathan, before leaving the house.

"She could have had an idea of where Lucas was!" Nathan protested as Haley shut the front door and spun around to face her husband.

"Lucas is an adult! He can decide for himself what he wants to do and where he wants to go," she said hotly, glaring at him.

"He told you about that, didn't he?" Nathan asked, a scowl covering his face. "That miserable excuse… What?" Haley's face went from angry to extremely upset.

"Lucas can't go, Nate. He just can't!" she sobbed, wrapping her arms around husband. "And I don't want you to go either!"

"Lucas won't go off to war," Nathan soothed, meanwhile harboring his doubts that his older brother would find a way to go in his place. "I can't promise you that I won't, though, Hales. You need to be strong about this. I will return to you and James."

"How can you guarantee that?" Haley cried, slumping against him as the tears she had been fighting for so long began to fall. "I don't know if I ever will see you again!"

"You will, Haley. I will call and write you every chance I can and when those three months are over, I will be back with you before you can say 'gun'. I swear, Haley," Nathan promised, taking her face in his hands. "I love you too much not to."

"I love you too. That's why I'm so scared that I will never see you again," Haley murmured, weeping softly into Nathan's shoulder.

"You will. Tomorrow won't be the last time we see each other," Nathan swore, kissing Haley's forehead.

**_New Brunswick Airport_**

_**9:45 AM**_

Peyton dragged her luggage over to security and placed it on the baggage inspection. Then she put her carry on items in the box and was about to walk through the metal detector when someone called her name.

"Peyton!"

She spun around, recognizing the voice instantly. Sure enough, Lucas was jogging up to her, a bouquet of flowers in one hand, and a ticket in the other.

"Lucas, what are you doing here?"

"You might want this," he said, smiling as he handed her the ticket to board the plane.

"Thanks," she said, blushing. Lucas's smile faded.

"I don't want you to go, Peyton. I love you so much."

"I will be back for Christmas," Peyton chided, feeling her heart being torn into pieces. Most of her wanted to stay here forever in Lucas's arms and never leave his side again, but the sensible side told her that her father needed her in California.

"I won't be," Lucas said softly, tearing his handsome blue eyes away from her and looking out the window. "Peyton, I won't be here when you return."

"What? What do you mean?" Peyton cried, attracting looks from passengers going through security to board the plane.

"I'm going in Nathan's place," he said. "I'm leaving tomorrow, Peyton, but I'm not going back to UNC. I'm going to take Nathan's place in the draft."

"Lucas, you can't!" Peyton protested. "What about your heart condition? You could die under the stress over there!"

"I've got my medicine," Lucas muttered. Peyton knew this was a lie; Lucas barely had been keeping up with it since he returned from college.

"Lucas, you could get shot, and die, or be taken prisoner, or God knows what!" Peyton said, her voice rising.

"Would you prefer Nathan go and have the same thing happen to him?"

"Over you? Hell yes!"

"What about Haley? And James?"

"What about me?"

_"Flight 3342 Gate A is now boarding,"_ the intercom blared.

"That's your flight," Lucas said grimly.

"Promise me you will be here when I get back," Peyton whispered. Lucas looked hesitant for a moment. "Promise, or I'm staying here!"

Instead of answering, Lucas swept her into his arms and kissed her fiercely.

"Don't forget your plane ticket," he whispered as they broke apart. Peyton lingered for a moment, knowing he hadn't promised. The look on his face hardened for a moment as he nodded. "I will be here. I swear."

"I love you," she murmured.

"I love you, too. You are the one. Remember that," Lucas said, his face turning into a sad smile as Peyton hugged him one last time and stepped through security. Lucas waited for a few more minutes, watching the familiar curly blonde disappear into the mass of passengers boarding the plane. Then he turned and went to find the exit of the airport.

* * *

**How did you like it? Yeah, yeah, it's going against the plot line at first, but it will get better.**

**No song lyrics to report in this chapter. But I will find a song for the next chapter! **


	3. Be Safe For Me

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.**

* * *

**_The River Court_**

_**8:30 PM**_

_Do you remember the first kiss?  
Stars shooting across the sky  
To come to such a place as this  
You never left my mind_

Rain had been falling ever since noon, making the day wet and miserable. But rain or shine, sleet or snow, there was always some Scott at the River Court, thinking over what he or she was about to do. On this wet dreary day, about nine hours after Peyton Sawyer left Tree Hill, Lucas Eugene Scott sat on top of the picnic tables, not caring if he got wet, not caring about the ringing of his cell phone, and not caring that five people were out looking for him at that very moment.

Lucas had made probably the biggest decision he had ever had to make in his entire life. He would be going off to war in place of his brother, despite all protests made against, despite all promise he had made to the people he loved. Nathan had more of a life to live than anyone around and he had the biggest plans for a future. He had a wife who loved him, a son who needed him, and offers from NBA to kickoff his career. Lucas, on the other hand, believed he nothing left for him in Tree Hill, which partially, was true. Peyton had moved away to California for the remainder of her dad's life, Karen was moving to Wilmington, Nathan and Haley were happy together and didn't really need him, and all he had to show was an English major.

_I'm watching from the wall  
As in the streets we fight  
This world all gone to war  
All I need is you tonight_

Lucas was brooding about how best to get away from Tree Hill and catch the long bus ride to Virginia, where the flight to Iraq would be taking off at twelve thirty tomorrow afternoon. The bus left at six am sharp and there wouldn't be another one afterwards. Knowing Nathan, Lucas knew that his brother would wake up late and end up at the bus station ten minutes before the bus left the station, even with Haley's help. Lucas decided he would leave the hotel room he had been staying at around five and be at the bus station around five forty-five and taking his place as Nathan Royal Scott.

_And I draw a line  
To your heart today  
To your heart from mine  
A line to keep us safe_

Sloshing footsteps were heard behind Lucas, signaling the appearance of either Nathan or Haley. Karen was the one constantly calling his cell phone, Peyton was somewhere 4500 feet above the ground right now, and no one else was there to care. However, Lucas hadn't counted on a fifth person who had been searching for the right moment to make an appearance.

_All through the rising sun  
All through the circling years  
You were the only one  
Who could have brought me here_

"Hey, Lucas," Brooke Davis said, startling the blonde. He turned around slowly, his blue eyes changing from brooding and lost to confused and angered.

"I thought you left for New York the day I was discharged from the hospital," he said.

"Peyton told you about that," Brooke stated. It wasn't a question, but Lucas nodded anyways.

"Why didn't you say anything to anyone? And why did you come back?" he wanted to know.

"Peyton asked me to, and I got bored in New York," she said.

"Bored? In New York? Brooke Davis, star fashion designer, bored in New York? Shocking," Lucas teased slightly. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Mind if I sit down?" She motioned to the picnic table where Lucas sat. He nodded and she sat down.

"So, why did Peyton ask you to come back?"

"This is just a pit stop," Brooke admitted.

"You're going to California with her?"

"Actually, no. I'm going to California, but to visit my parents and to spend some time with my family. It's been a while since I've done that."

"Over four years," Lucas said knowingly. Brooke looked startled that he remembered such a fact, but shrugged.

"Yeah, something like that. Anyways, when are you leaving for UNC? I thought you would have left already, seeing as Peyton left today."

"I don't think I'm going back to UNC."

It was Brooke's turn to be shocked. After everything Peyton had told her about how happy Lucas was at college, and how much he was looking forward to publishing his book and starting the sequel, it was impossible to see why he was dropping out.

"Why? Lucas, you love it there! You're doing everything you want to be doing!"

"Except playing basketball," Lucas muttered darkly. Brooke saddened for a moment.

"Sorry," she murmured. Lucas shrugged. "Why are you not going back?"

"If I tell you, then I would have to kill you," Lucas joked. Brooke rolled her eyes again and punched him lightly on the arm.

"Be serious for once!"

"I am!" Lucas protested.

"Lucas!"

"Fine. Nathan got drafted."

"What does that have to do with you dropping out of college? Honestly, Lucas, Haley would do much better if… oh. No. You can't seriously be thinking about that! Lucas, no! You can't possibly do that! Stick with UNC!"

"And what if Nathan dies? What would Haley and James do then?"

"Lucas, Nathan won't die."

"How can you guarantee that? He could walk outside right now and be killed by a passing car."

"So could you! Lucas, Nathan will be fine out there, much better than you would be."

"Oh yeah? Why?"

"If I seriously have to answer that, then it's no wonder why you're dropping out of college," Brooke muttered darkly. Lucas glared at her. "Lucas, I understand why you're doing this, but Nathan _will_ come back from Iraq. I swear! James will have a father _and_ a mother _and_ an uncle!"

"You realize that no matter what you say I'm still going? It doesn't matter anymore. It's done. I'm leaving tomorrow morning regardless of what anyone says."

"Then I hope you survive long enough to realize what an ass you're being. I honestly hope you return, Lucas, so everyone won't have to go through the pain of losing you again."

"What do you mean, _again_?"

"The car crash? Both of them? And the whole heart attack during senior year was pretty damn frightening as well, Lucas! Take your pick! Every time _you_ got hurt, or injured, or nearly killed, everyone felt the loss ten times worse than if it had been anyone else. You're a good person, Lucas, and I understand why you want to leave. I actually admire you for it. But please, don't be the hero. Just once, don't be the hero and let Nathan go."

_And I draw a line  
To your heart today  
To your heart from mine  
One line to keep us safe_

"I can't do that Brooke."

"Why not?" Brooke's voice became a distressed cry.

"It's complicated."

"Try me. I'll bet I understand more than you think."

"Brooke…"

"No, Lucas. I'm not going to let you go off without one good reason why you should. You don't _have_ to be a hero Lucas."

"I should go because I think that James shouldn't have to suffer being fatherless and being raised by his uncle."

"Do you think that's what's really going to happen? That Nathan is going to pull a Dan and abandon James?"

"In a way, yes! If Nathan gets killed, then it will be the same!"

"No it won't, Lucas, and you know it! Nathan will not have abandoned James and you know it! Nathan isn't that guy, Lucas and if you can't see that after everything you've been through together then…"

"I know!" Lucas interrupted. "It's just, I think Nathan should stay with Haley and go after his dreams, not risking being injured permanently and never being able to play basketball again or being able to walk again or being able to be alive again! It wouldn't be fair to him, Haley, or James if I _didn't_ do this."

"Lucas, I understand, but you _don't_ owe it to anyone to do this. Believe me, you long ago paid back any debt you ever owed to anyone, except to yourself. Do me a favor and think extremely hard before going tomorrow. If you do that, then I won't be able to stop you."

"I already have, Brooke. I already have."

_And I draw a line  
To your heart today  
To your heart from mine  
And pray to keep us safe_

**_Scott Residence_ **

_**9:00 PM**_

Lucas called an hour later, saying that he was fine and in a hotel room for the night, getting ready to leave for UNC bright and early tomorrow morning. Nathan could tell that there was something Lucas wasn't telling him, but his brother hung up before he got the chance to ask.

Haley could barely hold back her tears as the married couple got ready for bed. Deb had taken James on yet another road trip, to spare the boy the heartache of seeing his father going away to war. It was going to be bad enough for Haley to cope without having to deal with James along the way.

"Haley, I want you to know, that no matter what happens out there, I will always be with you. Always."

"And forever," Haley murmured, before kissing Nathan passionately. "Nathan, I love you more than anything else. Promise me you'll be safe and not do anything too dangerous."

"I promise, Hales," he said softly. He choked back his own tears as Haley began to sob heavily into his chest, weeping for everything that would be lost tomorrow morning.

_Watch the stars now moving  
Across the sky  
Keep this feeling  
Safe tonight_

**Wee. Finished the chapter. Finally. **

**Author's Note: Song is One Line by PJ Harvey**


	4. The Long And Broken Road

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters. **

**Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to update this story. I got writer's block on my other ones, so I decided to write a new chapter for this one instead.

* * *

**

**Fallen Hero**

**Chapter 4**

**"The Long And Broken Road"**

_**Bus Station **_

_**5:45 AM**_

"Name?"

"Nathan Royal Scott."

"Here's your bus pass and plane tickets. Don't lose them. Check in over there and grab your uniform and stow your bags in the bus. We will be leaving at six-thirty sharp."

Lucas Scott took the papers from the man behind the desk and went were he was told to go, knowing full well that there was no going back from this point on.

* * *

Nathan pulled his car into the bus station parking lot, searching for a parking space. He found one, next to a familiar red mustang.

"Isn't that Lucas's car?" Haley asked, surprised as he was to see it.

"He must've come to say good-bye," Nathan said, feeling a numbness begin to seep into his body. There was no way that Lucas would be here, unless he was taking Nathan's spot in the draft.

"That was nice," Haley said, sounding as though she were miles away. Nathan looked over at her, and easily saw the tears in her eyes.

"It's going to be okay, Hales," he whispered, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "I will come back for you. Nothing could keep me away."

"I know," Haley said softly, squeezing her eyes shut to keep the tears from falling. "I love you."

"I love you too," Nathan said quietly. He slipped something off of his wrist and onto Haley's. It was the bracelet that meant so much in their relationship. "Always?"

"And forever."

With that, Nathan gave his wife a passionate kiss that both of them were loath to break away from. Then he exited the car, grabbing his bag from the back as he did so.

"Nathan?" Haley said, also getting out of the car. Nathan looked at her, feeling tears well up in his own eyes. How could he stand to leave the life he loved so much? Was he really going to be able to leave?

His heart was breaking as Haley came over to him and kissed him again. She let her hand linger on his cheek for a moment, before whispering, "Go."

* * *

_It's been such a long time  
I think I should be goin', yeah  
And time doesn't wait for me  
It keeps on rollin'_

_  
_Lucas sat on a bench inside the bus station, near the door so he could keep an eye out for Nathan. It was six o'clock and Nathan still had yet to show. Lucas began to doubt that Haley let him out of the front door without saying a long, drawn out good-bye.

"Name?" the gruff looking officer asked. Lucas snapped his eyes open and looked out the door.

"Nathan Royal Scott."

Lucas quickly moved out of view from the front windows of the bus station and decided to go ahead and board the bus. It was six fifteen anyhow.

Nathan couldn't believe what the gruff looking man had told him. _How could I've already checked in? I just got here!_

"There must be some mistake," Nathan said, shaking his head. "I just got here five minutes ago. There's no way possible I could have already checked in."

"I'm sorry, son. But someone is here underneath your name. I wouldn't push it if I were you," the officer said. "Next!"

Nathan walked away from the check-in table, his mind racing. The only thing that kept popping into his mind was Lucas and how he could've gotten there so early.

_**Ring… Ring… Ring… **_

_"Hello?_"

"Lucas, where the hell are you?" Nathan demanded. He had decided to call his brother's cell phone and get some answers.

_"It depends. Where are you?"_

"I'm at the bus station, ready to be shipped out to Iraq. Some officer guy told me that someone checked in under my name."

_"I'm in my car on my way to UNC, little brother,"_ Lucas said. Nathan knew his brother was lying; it was too loud in the background of the phone for Lucas to be on the road to UNC.

"Right, and I'm supposed to believe that when your _Mustang_ is parked outside of the bus station? Man, I told you that you couldn't go for me. It's my responsibility to go, not yours."

_"It's too late, I'm already on the bus. It's heading out in five minutes. Take care of Hales and James for me."_

"Lucas!"

_"I love you, Nate."_

"I hate your guts right now, Luke. Get your ass off of that bus!"

The phone line had already been disconnected. Nathan stared at his cell phone in blank disbelief, before closing it and heading out to the parking lot to find Haley.

* * *

_Sail on, on a distant highway  
I've got to keep on chasin' a dream  
I've gotta be on my way  
Wish there was something I could say_

Lucas hit end on the phone conversation he was having with Nathan and pulled a large, beat up paperback version of John Steinbeck. Good memories went along with this book. Some were of Peyton, while others were of Brooke. Mostly, they were of basketball though. It was strange, but every time Lucas read this book, he remembered everything that had happened during his junior and senior year of high school.

As the bus pulled out of the station, Lucas found his place and emerged himself in the world of Steinbeck and memories of Tree Hill High School; trying his hardest not to think about the impending doom he was about to face._  
_  
_Well I'm takin' my time, I'm just movin' on__  
__You'll forget about me after I've been gone__  
__And I take what I find, I don't want no more__  
__It's just outside of your front door__

* * *

_**_Emerald Bay, California _**

_**12:00 AM Western/Pacific Time**_

"Hello? Nathan, what the hell? Did you really call at midnight my time just to say good-bye? Again?"

Peyton the Bitch made an appearance as her cell phone went off at midnight the same night she had arrived in California. She had been asleep all of half an hour when Nathan decided to call.

"_I'm sorry, Peyton. He's gone."_

"What? Who?"

Though he couldn't see her, Peyton's eyes widened to the size of half dollars. _Who was gone?_ She wondered. _And how?_

"_Lucas. He took my place in the draft. Haley and I are on our way to the airport and are flying out to California on the next flight available."_

"Why did he go?" Peyton demanded. "How could you let him?"

"_Peyton, it's Haley. It wasn't Nathan's fault your boyfriend has this serious thing for saving the people he loves."_

Peyton's mind instantly flashed back to high school, the school shooting, and that fateful day in the library that had pretty much destroyed Brooke and Lucas's relationship for good.

_**Flashback:**_

"_You're always saving me," she whispered to Lucas, as she bent her head forward. _

"_Someone's got to," he replied._

"_If I say I love you, would you hold it against me? Because I've lost a lot of blood and am probably going to die."_

"_Peyton, you're not going to die," he said forcefully._

"_Come here," she murmured. Lucas obediently leaned his head in and Peyton kissed him on the lips._

**_End of Flashback _**

Peyton felt tears come to her eyes as she recalled the memory. It had been one of the worst days of her life, the others being when her mom died and the three other times she almost lost Lucas. Now, the beginning of her second day in Emerald Bay was shaping up to be a pretty horrible one.

"What time do you plan on getting here?" she asked, knowing she had to say something.

"_We'll be there in about fourteen hours," _came Haley's reply. Peyton and Haley exchanged a few more words before hanging up. Peyton knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so she got out of bed and flipped her computer on.

**You have 1 new message.** The computer screen blinked._  
It's been such a long time  
It's been such a long time _

Well I get so lonely when I am without you  
But in my mind, deep in my mind  
I can't forget about you  


**_Dear Peyton,_**

**_I'm sorry for the way I'm leaving things. I just wanted to say, that no matter what happens out there, I will always love you. You will always be the one for me. I know it's unfair of me to ask, but if you could, please wait for me. Don't forget the good times. _**

**_I will write as soon as I can. Take care of Larry for me and tell him Rake Boy sends greetings from Iraq. I'll be home in three months. Take care._**

**_Love,_**

**_Lucas E. Scott _**

Tears threatened to fall from her burning eyes as she hit the reply button. Peyton's fingers shook horribly as she managed to type out a reply. She hit send and opened up her iTunes and hit play.

Loud, slow music instantly filled the room and Peyton fled to her bed and began to cry._  
Good times, and faces that remind me  
I'm tryin' to forget your name and leave it all behind me  
You're comin' back to find me _

It's been such a long time. It's been such a long time

Yeah. It's been such a long time  
I think I should be goin', yeah  
And time doesn't wait for me, it keeps on rollin'

There's a long road  
I've gotta stay in time with  
I've got to keep on chasin' that dream, though I may never find it  
I'm always just behind it

_Well I'm takin' my time, I'm just movin' along_  
_Takin' my time, just movin' along_  
_Takin' my time, takin' my time...

* * *

_

_**Author's Note: The song is I've Been Gone by **__**Boston.**__** I thought it moved with the story. **_

_**Anyways, I added the Peyton POV as a last minute insert. I was all ready to post it with just the Nathan and Lucas aspects, when I reread it and I was like, hey, this is missing something. Then it hit me. Peyton. I needed her input on this. Even though it shows a really weepy version of her, it's still in there.**_

_**So, enjoy turkey, stuffing, and reading! Leave lots of reviews. **_

_**Happy Thanksgiving from Lucas Scott 22 3. **_


	5. Familiar Faces and Untitled Chapters

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters. **

**Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to update. This story is a hard one to write right now.

* * *

**

**Fallen Hero**

**Chapter 5**

**Iraq **

**Time and Place Unknown**

Lucas stared off into space, wondering what was going to happen next. He and some two hundred other men and women and all gotten off the plane and entered the American base camp for all new recruits two hours ago. All of them had been assigned to different troops and were then shipped out. He found himself sitting next to an all too familiar redhead woman who was doing her best not to look at him.

"Rachel? What the hell are you doing here?" Lucas asked, breaking the silence on the dusty bus as it bumped over narrow, hole-filled roads.

"I could ask you the same thing, Mr. Heart-Condition Scott," Rachel said pointedly, finally turning to face him. "Aren't you supposed to be at UNC or something like that with Peyton?"

"Aren't you supposed to be posing for some strange magazine in New York?" Lucas retorted.

Though the two had never really spent that much time together in high school, it felt good to both of them to be in this together. It helped when you had a familiar face to talk to.

"I switched to modeling until Brooke quit. Then I was screwed. No boyfriend, no friend, no career, and no home. So I went to the local high school and got a job as cheerleading coach for some really bad team and worked there for about six months. Then I quit because I wasn't doing anything fun and signed up for the army," she said with a simple shrug. "You?"

"Trying to save history from repeating itself," Lucas said, staring out the window at the desert landscape.

"You didn't like sleep with Brooke or anything, did you? Cause that would totally suck if you were still dating Peyton," Rachel said. Lucas didn't even have to turn around to know that Rachel was grinning her infamous smile.

"No, nothing like that. I don't think James needs to be raised by an uncle who's a piece of banged up crap anyways," Lucas said, turning to face Rachel again.

"You're taking Nathan's place?" Rachel was shell-shocked. She obviously couldn't believe it.

"Yeah," Lucas said, scoffing slightly. "You don't honestly think they would draft a guy who could fall dead at any second, do you?"

"Oh, stop thinking like that. You're not a piece of crap and you won't fall dead at any second. But why are you doing this?"

"To prove to everyone that I'm not a piece of glass and so James won't have to go through life knowing that he never knew his father."

"So that's the real reason. You think everybody thinks you're a wimp and you want to prove them wrong."

"What's wrong with that?"

"They don't think you're weak or whatever, Luke. In fact, I was talking to Brooke one night about three months ago and she said that you're probably the strongest person she knows. And then two nights later, you end up in an accident. Then three months later, when you're supposed to be dead, you wake up. That doesn't sound at all weak to me, Lucas."

"What do you know about it?"

"I know that most people don't survive three freaking heart attacks, two nearly fatal car crashes and at least four really horrible break-ups in one lifetime."

"Yeah, well, most people don't end up with my life."

"So, how are you and Peyton?"

"And you care, why?"

"Because we're over two thousand miles away from home, I'm the only friend you've got, and I'm the only person whose not sending your sorry ass home at this moment because you have a potentially fatal heart condition."

"That's the third or fourth time you've mentioned my damn condition. And Peyton and I… we were good."

"_Were_? Does that mean you two have broken up?"

Rachel's slut side appeared as she inched closer to Lucas, who merely rolled his eyes and pushed her away.

"No, I left for war and didn't keep my promise to her. She probably hates me by now anyways," Lucas said, going back to staring out the window.

Rachel was quiet, knowing that she shouldn't say anything else. The rest of the bumpy bus ride was in silence until they reached their 'camp'. It was nothing more than a couple of shabby looking tents thrown together with a sign in front of them.

Lucas grabbed his bag from the pile that had been unceremoniously dumped in the middle of the compound. There were a couple people roaming the camp, but it was too hot to do anything else at the moment.

"Newcomers, report to Sergeant Summer's tent immediately for bunks and assignments. Dinner will be served at eighteen hundred sharp," a tall, professional looking soldier yelled from the middle of the compound.

The thirteen new additions to Troop 339 trooped across the now deserted compound to a tent with a dirty wooden sign outside of it that read: **Sergeant D. Summers.**

Lucas had a bad feeling that his cover was about to be blown when he stepped into that tent. _D…As in Derek Summers? _He wondered.

The tent flap opened and out stepped an all too familiar African American man, one Lucas hadn't seen in over a year.

"Lucas?"

"Derek?"

* * *

**Emerald Bay, California **

**3:00 PM**

Peyton sat in her father's hospital room, holding his hand. The elderly Sawyer had just undergone his first round of chemotherapy to treat his lung cancer. Her once tall, proud father was now a shriveled shell of who he used to be.

"Peyton," Larry rasped, looking at his adopted daughter. She looked at him through tear filled eyes.

"Yes Daddy?" Peyton asked, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

"I love you," he whispered, squeezing her hand. He sighed and leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes.

As Larry drifted off to sleep, a gentle knock at the door made Peyton look up. Haley came in, looking upset and lonely.

"Hales, what are you doing here?"

The shock in Peyton's voice was noticeable and it cut Haley to the quick.

"Didn't we tell you that we were flying in last night?"

"Yeah, I meant, how did you find me here?"

Haley shrugged, and shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

"Can I sit down?"

Peyton nodded and Haley walked over to the empty chair next to her. That was when Peyton noticed the small package Haley was holding.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to the brown item now in Haley's lap.

"It's from Lucas. It's addressed to you," she said, handing it to Peyton. "Nathan and I found it at the house. We figured we should give it to you."

"Thank you," Peyton murmured hoarsely. The strain of the last few days was really beginning to get to her, and now all she wanted to do was break down and cry.

"I can stay with your dad if you want to go clean up," Haley offered, noticing how upset her friend looked. Peyton hugged her tightly, before getting up. Before she left the room, she turned and faced Haley again.

"Thanks, Hales. This really means a lot."

Haley nodded, and watched as her blonde friend disappeared from sight.

Peyton locked herself in the bathroom and stared at the package. It was about the size and shape of a book. She wiped away the tears that had started falling and slowly opened it.

She was right, it _was_ a book. It was the one Lucas had been writing and Karen had had bound before graduation. She took it in her hands, and opened the front cover, feeling as though she were about to start crying big time.

There were two things on the first two pages. One was a dedication and the other was a hand written note from Lucas. She read the dedication first.

To Peyton, my inspiration for writing the last two chapters of the book. I love you so much.

The hand written note was much harder to read, because Peyton couldn't keep the tears from falling. It was like he was trying to give her something to remember him by in case he….

_Dear Peyton,_

_I don't know what to say to you, other than I'm sorry for breaking the promise we made in the airport. I know, I'll never be able to make it up to you, but I hope this helps. No one else has ever read the last two chapters of __**An Unkindness of Ravens**__, except me. I hope you like them. I will always hold you in my heart, Peyton, regardless of what happens out there. Don't ever forget that, either. _

_I love you so much,_

_Lucas _

The tears she had been trying to hold back finally fell as she flipped to the marked pages in the back of the book. The second to last chapter wasn't titled, nor was the last one. They were the only two untitled chapters in the book.

Peyton shivered slightly in the air conditioned bathroom and leaned back against the wall and began to read.

* * *

**Okay, so once again, sorry for the length between updates. I have let this one slip, and I'm sorry. **

**I know you all probably don't like Rachel, but she's not in this story to hit on Lucas. She has a much bigger, more important role than that. And I know, she's not one for war, but I needed someone who was familiar to Lucas other than Derek. Yes, Derek's back. I know he's supposed to be in the Marines, but in this story he's in the army. **

**No song lyrics to report in this one. **


	6. Conversations and Death

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: It has been forever since I've updated, and I'm really sorry. I got sidetracked.

* * *

**

**Fallen Hero**

**Chapter 6**

**Iraq**

**Time and Place Unknown**

If Derek was surprised to see Lucas standing in front of him instead of Nathan Scott, he didn't show it. It must have been the military training that kept him from showing emotion, for he rattled off directions in a dead-panned voice after he got over the initial shock of seeing the blonde.

The group was breaking apart, each heading towards their respective tents that they would share with three other people for the duration of their stay. Lucas was starting to walk towards his when a voice called him back.

"Scott!"

It was Derek, who was now standing by himself off to the side of the compound near the mess tent.

"Yeah?" Lucas asked as a reflex. He instantly berated himself for not addressing Derek as 'sir' or 'Sergeant Summers'.

"That's 'yes sir' to you," the other man said sternly. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

Rachel was standing next to Lucas, having not moved through the entire thing. She had met Derek briefly during the Ravens' awards banquet in high school the year prior. The two hadn't really spoken, except for quick introductions by Peyton.

Lucas glanced at the redhead before answering.

"Yes sir," he said. 'I'll see you later,' he mouthed to Rachel. The girl nodded, before shouldering her bag and walking off towards her tent, leaving Derek and Lucas alone.

"What are you doing here, Lucas?" Derek asked as soon as everyone else was out of earshot. "The roster clearly said 'Nathan R. Scott'."

"Look, I know that you probably wouldn't understand this and everything because it's personal and you're really not that guy, but I did it because Nathan needed me to," Lucas said, his voice chilly. As much as he loved Peyton, he could never like her half-brother. He wasn't entirely sure why, it just happened that way.

"Is he okay?" Derek asked, ignoring the jab at his lack of feelings. His voice was emotionless and hard.

"He's fine," Lucas said. The other man looked confusedly at him. Lucas knew what question he was about to ask, and beat him to it. "Then why am I here? Nathan has a son. He needs to be there for him."

"Lucas, that's not an excuse. Most of these men have sons and daughters at home as well as wives. Most of the women do too. But they are still here. So why are you?"

"I know what it's like to be raised without a father and by an uncle," Lucas said, shrugging again. "I don't think it would be fair to Haley or Nathan if that happened to their son."

"I understand that, which is why I'm not putting your ass on the next bus home and giving you a dishonorable discharge right now," Derek said, placing a strong hand on Lucas's shoulder. "But be careful, all right?"

Lucas nodded, knowing that this was the end of the conversation. He picked up his bag and headed towards his assigned tent.

* * *

**Emerald Bay, California **

**4:30 PM**

Peyton let herself out of the hospital bathroom an hour and a half later. She felt considerably better after reading the words Lucas had written and given time to think. She was still pretty upset with Lucas leaving and her father ill, but she had managed to get herself under control.

Taking a deep breath, Peyton walked down the strangely empty hospital corridors to her father's room. The emptiness struck her as odd; usually the hospital corridors were buzzing with activity and patients.

Peyton felt a growing sense of unease as she neared her father's room. Haley and Nathan were standing outside of it; both had solemn looks on their faces.

"Hales? What's wrong?" Peyton asked, fearing the worst.

The other girl looked down at her feet, a tear escaping her eyes.

"Your dad… he passed away," she said, her voice barely loud enough for the other girl to hear.

Peyton felt as though she had been hit by a bus. The only person who had always been there for her no matter what had left her, just like everyone else had. Her father had always promised that he would be there for her no matter what, and now he was gone. Just like that.

"Peyton?"

Nathan's concerned voice broke through the haze Peyton had let herself sink into. She looked up at him, feeling numb. The pain would come later. Right now, she was in deep shock.

"I need Lucas," she said, as Nathan closed the gap between the two of them. Haley also came over, and before Peyton knew it, she was sobbing against the shoulder of her oldest friend. Nathan pulled her into a hug and just let her cry, while Haley rubbed her back soothingly.

"When he gets back here," Nathan said through gritted teeth to Haley. Peyton barely heard him through her tears. "I'm going to kill him."

"Not if I reach him first," Haley said, her voice full of unmasked pain. Peyton knew they were talking about Lucas.

"Peyton, we should get back to the hotel. Would you like to come with us?" Nathan asked, turning his gaze back to the curly haired girl.

Peyton broke away from Nathan's grasp and wiped her tears away. She shook her head.

"I should probably stay here and take care of the paper work. I'll meet you guys for dinner later," she promised. Nathan looked closely at her, and Peyton was struck by the resemblance between him and Lucas. She had never noticed it before, but they were definitely a lot a like. From the same crystal blue eyes to the overprotective caring manner. It was strange, but it felt good to have someone care about her.

"You sure?"

Peyton nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She knew that if she did, her cracked voice would give her away and she would just start crying again. That was the last thing any of them needed.

Haley and Nathan said their good-byes, before turning and walking towards the elevator. They soon were out of sight.

Peyton turned back to the hospital room, forcing herself to walk in. She was surprised to find it empty, save for one doctor, who was obviously waiting for her.

"We have moved Mr. Sawyer's body down to the morgue. We do, however, need you to sign a couple of papers before you leave. There is also a lawyer here who would like to talk to you about Mr. Sawyer's will," he said, handing over a clipboard. "My name is Doctor Harris and I took care of Mr. Sawyer during his stay here. If you have any questions about it, my number is at the bottom of the sheet."

Then, the doctor left, leaving Peyton alone with the mountain of papers concerning her father's death. She grimly took the pen off the top of the clipboard and began to sign the papers, not really focusing on what they were saying.

* * *

**Okay, once again, sorry about the delay in updates. I know this chapter wasn't my best, but I'll have a new chapter up soon. No song lyrics to report in this chapter. **


	7. The Sounds of War

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to update! I've already started writing the next chapter. It should be up shortly. **

**Fallen Hero**

**Chapter 7**

**Iraq**

**Time Unknown**

Lucas made his away across the muddy compound towards the mess hall. He had been in Iraq for two weeks now, and so far, there had been no guns or violence of any kind. Lucas knew that it was only a matter of time before the bullets started flying and someone got hurt. He hoped that when the time came, he would have the strength to get through it if he were the one hurt and that none of the friends he made here got hurt. It was a false hope, though.

Derek and the cook were the only ones in the mess hall when Lucas entered. He was hardly aware that he was up before most of the camp; his still-healing ribs had woken him up early, followed by a dull ache in his chest as he thought of Peyton. The rain outside hadn't helped any.

"Scott," Derek greeted him curtly. The two had barely spoken since Lucas's first day. Lucas had mostly ignored Derek and the corporal had done the same for him.

"Summers," Lucas returned, going to the line and picking up a coffee mug. He refused to eat the breakfast the military offered; choosing to go without the disgusting food one time a day. He was forced to eat it after breakfast; otherwise he would starve to death.

"I was just heading out on patrol with Private Gatina," Derek said, his normally confident voice hesitant. He seemed to be holding something back. "Would you like to come?"

It wasn't an order; it was an actual offer, one that Lucas was free to refuse. He was surprised at the offer, and slightly worried. Something was going on, something that Derek wasn't telling him. Lucas could see it in the other man's face.

"Sure," Lucas agreed, deciding that it was the best way to find out what was bugging Derek.

"All right," Derek said, getting up from the table he was sitting at. "Be at the entrance to the mess tent in ten minutes."

Then, the corporal left, striding out of the mess tent and disappearing into the muddy mess.

Lucas finished his mug of syrupy coffee before walking back outside. Derek and Rachel were already waiting inside an army issued jeep. Lucas walked over to join them.

"Ready to go?" Rachel asked. There was a certain hardness she had developed over the past two weeks that made her seem colder than usual towards other people. Lucas was the only one she really got along with anymore because of her unwillingness to be a socialite.

"Yep," Lucas said. He had gotten into the habit of using one-worded answers for just about everything. He rarely gave long, emotional, longwinded responses to anyone. He had only given one, and that was when someone asked him if he was seeing anyone back in the states.

"Let's go," Derek ordered as Lucas hopped into the jeep. The corporal was driving, with Rachel in the backseat and Lucas in the passengers seat. The three of them drove out of camp, heading towards the first patrol spot of their sector.

**Tree Hill, North Carolina**

**9:25 PM**

_Some part of me always knew that my heart would belong to her forever. Even when I was with Brooke, Nicky, Anna, and Brooke again, my heart always belonged to Peyton Sawyer. That's what makes this journey so much harder, knowing that she will never be able to fully forgive me for what I am about to do. She has been through too much already without the added threat of losing me on top of it. So why did I make the decision to hop on that bus and fly out of the country? That question has a long and complicated answer. I grew up with my uncle as a father, my mother, and no family outside of that. I know that Jamie will have me, Peyton, Brooke, Brooke's significant other, Haley, Skills, and so many other people that love him. His life, even without Nathan, would be so much better than my first seventeen years. So why did I do this? Haley is my best friend; she has nothing outside of Jamie and Nathan. Nathan is my brother; he has nothing outside of Haley and Jamie. I can't let them fall apart. _

_I guess what they say is true; love is sacrifice. But did I make the right sacrifice?_

Lucas's words touched Peyton more then she was willing to admit as she placed Lucas's book on her nightstand and turned out the light.

Peyton had returned to Tree Hill two weeks ago after closing up all of her father's things back in California. She was now living with Nathan, Haley, Jamie, and Deb, who was in the process of moving out of Tree Hill. She had lost the house when her father died and she didn't have the funds to live anywhere else.

Peyton rolled over in bed, trying to go to sleep. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could close her eyes and everything would be over, that Lucas would be right next to her and Larry Sawyer would still be alive. A pessimistic voice in the back of her brain told her that Lucas was never coming back and that she would never see her true love again.

"SHUT UP!" she growled, throwing off the covers.

Giving upon trying to go to sleep, Peyton slipped on her sneakers and a jacket before slipping out her bedroom door. She felt like a criminal walking through the deserted house to the front door. Everything was just too quiet and too dark.

"Peyton?"

Nathan's loud, confused voice startled Peyton from her thoughts. She spun around to face the younger Scott.

"I was just on my way to the river court," she said, getting defensive instantly. Peyton had been doing that a lot lately. She felt like everyone was watching her too close for comfort these past couple of weeks.

Nathan nodded, looking exhausted. Peyton realized just how stressful these past two weeks had been on him. They had been enormously hard on her without the added complications of a baby son and a brother missing and a wife to take care of.

"D-do you want to come?" Peyton offered, wanting to spend some time with her best guy friend outside of Jake and Lucas. She needed to talk to someone about the way she was feeling.

"Sure," Nathan said, yawning hugely. "Haley has Jamie for a while. Let's go."

Outside, the air was crisp and cool as the two friends headed towards the river court. No one had been there since Lucas had left by an unspoken agreement. Tonight would be the first time anyone had been there.

Peyton sat down on the vacant picnic table, placing her head in her hands and staring up at the stars. Nathan sat down silently next to her.

"Peyton, when did life get so damn complicated?" he asked suddenly. Peyton looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"All of this," he said, waving one hand around wildly. "Me… married. You and Lucas together… Lucas off in Iraq because of me. There being a billion and a half bills to pay, your dad is gone… When did life get so messed up?"

"About the same time we started growing up," Peyton said, her voice quiet. After a moment's pause, she said, "I miss him."

Nathan sighed audibly and nodded his head.

"I know. You'd be stupid not to."

"Do you miss him?"

"Every day. He's my brother, after all."

"Dan's your father," Peyton countered. "Do you miss him?"

Nathan looked at her, his dark blue eyes confused and lost as he shrugged.

"I don't know, Peyton. He's my father, yes, but he also killed the one man that meant more to Lucas and Karen than anyone else. All because of one stupid mistake Keith made years ago when we were juniors."

"It feels so long ago, doesn't it?" Peyton murmured.

Nathan chuckled, his face dark in the moonlight.

"That's because it was so long ago, Peyton," he said. "Us, Lucas and Haley, the river court being a place where only outsiders could go… Dan being a person…"

"Nathan, he has to be okay," Peyton burst out, feeling the all too familiar tears sting the back of her eyes. "If anything happens to him, I don't know what I'd do. He's all I have left."

**Iraq**

**Time Unknown**

**Unknown Person's POV**

There was something wrong in the camp. The air seemed to vibrate with pain and fear. Suddenly, screaming filled the air as the sound of gunfire rattled off. Then there was an everlasting silence as everything went black.

**Iraq**

**Time Unknown**

**Lucas's POV**

The sun overhead seemed to be radiating ten times its normal heat as we walked over the dusty ground, heading away from anything normal. It had been Derek's idea to continue with our patrol instead of heading back when we should have.

The jeep had broken down ten miles back and there was no way any of us could fix it. We were stuck in the middle of a desert with no food or water until the next patrol came by or the enemy attacked. Either way, we were more than screwed. The next patrol out in our direction wasn't for another three days. We would be long gone by then.

Suddenly, the distant sound of gunfire that I had been hearing for the past two weeks became closer. I could hear the roll of wheels and the shouts of the enemy.

There was nowhere to hide and besides that, it was too late. The opposing jeeps were now in sight, a mere mile away. They were rolling steadily closer with each breath I took.

"God help us," Rachel murmured from beside me. Her voice was full of fear and terror. Derek was a little ways ahead, walking more quickly now. It was useless, though, because the attackers were already taking aim at us.

"Rachel, get down!" I shouted, jumping forward and pushing her to the ground, just as a bullet whizzed over our heads.

**Tree Hill, North Carolina**

**10:40 PM**

_"Mrs. Scott, I'm sorry to report, but your husband, Nathan Royal Scott, is missing in action. His troop was attacked early this morning. Rachel Gatina, Derek Summers, and Nathan Scott were not among the dead. There were no survivors otherwise."_

Haley dropped the phone in shock. Lucas was missing or dead. How was she going to explain this to Peyton?

* * *

**Sorry if this was confusing. I wanted to get the first of the action scenes in. More is coming soon! **


	8. Wounded Beyond Help

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.**

**

* * *

**

Fallen Hero

**Chapter 8 **

**Iraq**

**Time Unknown**

He had no idea how they got there or how come their faces were so serious. He had no idea why she was crying steadily as she squeezed his hand and whispered something he couldn't understand. He had no idea where the fierce, agonizing pain in his stomach was coming from or how it came to be there. He couldn't understand why breathing was becoming so hard for him, or why he was flittering in and out of consciousness without realizing it. Most of all, he didn't know what had happened. That was killing him.

**Iraq**

**Two Hours Earlier**

"Rachel, get down!" Lucas shouted, jumping forward and pushing her to the ground, just as a bullet whizzed over their heads.

Derek also hit the dirt as a deadly hail of bullets rained over them. Lucas was trying to get Rachel to crawl over to where the corporal was so they could make an escape, but the red head was terrified.

"Come on, Rachel!" Derek yelled, trying to be heard over the ringing of gunshots that were being fired at them. It was as though someone had lit half a dozen fireworks right next to them.

"Rachel, move!" Lucas grunted, shoving the redhead forward. She let out a small whimper of protest, but hurriedly crawled across the sand to where Derek was waiting.

Lucas felt the intensity of the firing change. It seemed as though their moving had been a deadly mistake; the enemy now knew exactly how many of them there were and who the weakest link was. They were now taking aim, one that would be deadly if it hit its mark. Lucas took a deep breath, thinking of nothing else but what he was about to do.

Life seemed to slow down as Lucas heard the gun go off. He knew where they were aiming; Rachel's red hair made her an amazing target to shoot at. He propelled himself forward at the same instant the gun went off.

Millions of thoughts were racing through his mind as he did this, but none were about the pain he would inevitably feel or what would happen to him afterwards. They were of a certain blonde haired angel, one that he wished would find happiness if he were not to make it through this.

A sudden, searing pain entered him via his stomach and everything went black.

**Present**

"We have to move him. He could die if we don't get him help," Derek murmured to Rachel.

Lucas had been shot in the stomach protecting Rachel from the gunfire earlier that day. It had been a stray bullet that had struck him, but it still had enough force to do some serious damage. Lucas hadn't been able to stay awake for longer than a few minutes at a time and whenever he was awake, he was in great pain. There was nothing Derek or Rachel could do for him.

"If we move him now, he could die," Rachel retorted, looking around their surroundings. "There is no one out there to help us and even if we go out there, the others will capture us and take us to their prisons. That is the worst thing we can do for Lucas right now."

"I promised Peyton that I wouldn't let anything happen to him," Derek said solemnly, turning away from the red head. "I have to keep that promise, even if I did break it already. She can't stand to lose anyone else."

"Do you think _I_ want anything to happen to him?" Rachel retorted bitterly. "He's Peyton's boyfriend, and Peyton is Brooke's best friend. If anything happened to him because of me, then I would lose them too. I can't do that."

"This isn't your fault," Derek said quietly, looking at Rachel. His brown eyes were sad. "It's mine. I should have agreed with you to turn back to camp when we had the chance."

Rachel was silent, uncertain of how to respond to that. Derek was freely admitting what he had done was wrong. She wasn't used to that.

Slowly, she sat down beside Lucas, squeezing his hand.

"Please, stay with us," she begged, all the while praying he would. Lucas had too much to lose if he left.

**

* * *

**

Tree Hill, North Carolina

**11:00 PM**

Nathan wrapped a strong; comforting arm around Peyton, knowing it's what she needed right now. He let her sob into his shoulder for a few minutes, letting her get it all out. She needed Lucas, but he wasn't there. Nathan was going to kill his brother for doing this to them when he returned.

"Thanks," Peyton said, her voice cracking ever so slightly as she pulled away. Her green eyes were red and puffy as she wiped away her tears. "I just wish life wasn't so messed up all of the time."

"I'll always be here for you, Peyton," Nathan promised, rubbing her back gently. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know," she said softly, turning away from him. She stared sullenly out at the river, letting the silence wash over them again.

"Nathan!"

Haley's distressed voice broke the peaceful silence the two friends had fallen in to. Nathan was the first to look up; Peyton was lost in thought, though she stiffened at the sound of her friend's panicked voice.

"Hales, what's wrong?" Nathan asked, slipping off the table and meeting his wife at half-court.

"Lucas is missing in action," Haley said, sobbing. "The troop was wiped out, but they couldn't find Lucas's body among them."

"That's a good thing, right?" Nathan asked, confused. "That means he's still alive."

"It means that he could have been taken prisoner," she cried. "Or could've died further away! Either way, he's gone."

"Oh no," Peyton whispered, feeling the world spin dangerously around her. Lucas was gone… possibly for good. She couldn't survive without her knight in shining armor. She needed him next to her.

That was her last thought before the ground of the river court rushed up and hit her in the face. Then, everything went black.

**

* * *

**

Iraq

**Time Unknown**

Lucas struggled to open his eyes, knowing that he had to live for one person alone. That one person, who made his life worth living, needed him more than ever now.

The world came slowly into focus, though it was extremely blurred. Lucas was aware of Derek and Rachel standing on the outskirts of his vision, looking grimly out into the faint light of the land beyond.

The pain that had been in his stomach lessened some, making it easier to think and concentrate. He had no clue as to where he was, but he did remember what had happened for the most part.

Lucas tried to sit up, wincing and giving up as the pain in his stomach threatened to overtake him again. He gritted his teeth and tried to sit up again, this time using his left hand to soothe the savage pain in his stomach.

"Lucas!"

Rachel's cry was one of relief as Lucas managed to sit up. She jogged over to him, putting one arm around his shoulders and the other supporting his back.

"Are you okay?" Derek asked from the edge of the cave they were in. Lucas nodded, not wanting to waste any more energy by talking. He was still struggling just to stand, though with the help of Rachel, he somehow managed.

"Is there anything you need?" Rachel asked, concern filling her blue eyes. Lucas shook his head, wincing as he did so. Little movements hurt. Breathing hurt. Hell, everything hurt.

"No," he managed to get out, leaning against the side of the cave. It was a really small cave, he noted, barely big enough for the three of them to stand comfortably. Lucas wondered how long he'd been out and shuddered at the thought. "Where are we?"

"Um," Rachel said, looking nervously at Derek.

"We have no idea," Derek said honestly, turning away from them. He seemed to be extremely interested in what was happening outside.

"Is everything okay?" Lucas asked from his position on the wall. He was exceedingly out of breath from the effort it took to remain standing, even when he was leaning against a rock for support. The bullet wound certainly took a lot out of him.

"No."

The man spoke so softly that Lucas barely even heard him. Rachel was saying something that Lucas couldn't hear over a loud booming that occurred right outside the cave.

"What was that?" she asked, her voice full of fear.

Derek looked at them both with wide, gloomy eyes.

"They've found us," he said, his voice dark.

* * *

**No song lyrics to report this chapter. Read and review!!**


	9. A Song For Our Hearts So Big

****

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

**

* * *

**

Fallen Hero

**Chapter 9**

**Tree Hill, North Carolina**

**The River Court**

**Midnight**

"Should we take her to the hospital?"

Nathan's concerned voice fell over deaf ears. Haley was trying to wake Peyton up, who had fainted when she had heard the news about Lucas. It was too much for one person to take, especially one who had already lost their father, both mothers, and could now stand to lose not only their brother, but their lover as well.

"No, just give a few minutes," Haley said, looking up at him. Her brown eyes were sad and full of fear, which made Nathan instinctively wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"It's going to be okay, Hales," he murmured, kissing her hair softly. "I promise."

"How?" Haley whispered, leaning into his chest. "How is this all going to be okay?"

Before Nathan could answer, Peyton began to stir. Her green eyes were already filling with tears as she remembered what Haley had said.

"Peyton?" Nathan asked, his voice concerned.

Peyton slowly shook her head, before getting up and walking away. Nathan looked at Haley, puzzled.

"Peyton, wait!" Haley yelled. Peyton merely shook her head and kept on walking.

_There is no one in town I know_

_You gave us some place to go_

_I never said thank you for that_

_Thought I'd might get one more chance_

**Tree Hill, North Carolina**

**1:00 AM**

Peyton curled up on her bed, after having locked the door. She picked up her pillow and sobbed into it. She cried because she had lost her mother, her father, and now Derek and Lucas. The thought of the last time she had seen Lucas made her cry even harder. They had been at the airport and he had promised her that he would be there when she got back. He had promised! And now, he may never come back. There was a good chance that he wouldn't.

_What would you think of me now?_

_So lucky, so strong, so proud,_

_I never said thank you for that, _

_Now I'll never have a chance _

**Iraq**

**Time and Place Unknown**

Lucas stared at Derek in shock. 'They' could only be the people who attacked them in the first place… the reason behind the fear in Derek's eyes at that moment.

Another boom rocked the cave, followed by the sounds of shouting in a language none of the three inside the cave understood. Footsteps grew louder until they were right outside the cave entrance.

Rachel fell back towards Lucas and took his hand, just as they entered.

"I'm sorry, Lucas," she whispered, looking up at him with wide, brown eyes. "I'm sorry for everything that's about to happen."

Before Lucas could ask her what she meant, she was taken from him and dragged out of the cave behind Derek. Lucas knew they were coming for him next.

_May angels lead you in,_

_Hear you me, my friends_

_On sleepless roads, the sleepless go,_

_May angels lead you in_

**

* * *

**

Iraq

**Time and Place Unknown**

Lucas found himself tied in between Derek and Rachel on the back of a moving truck. He couldn't bring himself to move around to see where they were at; the bullet wound in his side hurt too much. But from what he could see, he didn't like. Rachel was unconscious and bleeding from her forehead, while Derek had a smattering of bruises on his face and his lower lip was bleeding.

"You okay?" Derek rasped.

Lucas could feel his breath slipping away as he slowly shook his head.

"No," he whispered. Each bump in the road made his wound hurt worse and his head pounded from lack of food and water and excessive amount of dust and heat. "You?"

Derek smirked slightly, though it never reached his serious eyes.

"I'm better than you. You blacked out earlier from loss of blood," he said. "I got punched trying to help you up."

"I'm sorry," Lucas said, trying to move his aching hands. The effort was futile; they were bound too tightly.

"Don't worry about it," Derek murmured, shrugging the best he could. Then, looking across Lucas to Rachel, he added, "She's going to wake up soon."

"What happened to her?" Lucas asked, looking at the redhead. Her forehead had finally stopped bleeding, though her face was caked in blood and dirt. Her once shiny red hair was matted and dark. It was now closer to brown then to red.

"She knocked herself out when she tripped over some jerk's foot and smacked her head on a sharp rock," Derek said, looking away again.

"How long have we been tied up?" Lucas asked. He winced as the truck they were in went over a rather large pothole. His vision blurred and he was now fighting to stay conscious.

"We've been on the road for about three hours now," Derek said shortly. He was still looking off to the left of the truck.

They went over another pothole. Lucas bit his lip to stop himself from yelling out, but it was a close call. His vision blurred dangerously again as his eyes watered. He refused to close his eyes though, knowing that if he did, he wouldn't be able to open them again.

"Do you have any clue to where we are heading?" he managed to get out. His voice sounded pained and forced, even to him.

Derek looked back at Lucas, his brown eyes concerned. He slowly nodded.

"You see that shadow over there?" He used his head to point towards the direction he had been staring at.

Lucas squinted, trying to see what Derek was talking about. There was a faint smudge of a rectangular shadow in the far distance, but it was there.

"Yeah," he said, biting his lip and taking as deep as a breath as he could manage as the truck suddenly swerved.

"That's the POW camp," the other man said, his voice giving away how anxious he actually was about that fact. "We'll be staying there until someone finds us or…"

Derek trailed off, looking away from Lucas again. Lucas knew what he was about to say and was sickened by the thought. He wished more than ever that he had never decided to take Nathan's place here. He wanted to be with Peyton more than anything right now, to hold her in his arms and feel completely safe again. It was too late for that now, though.

Lucas felt himself begin to slide back into unconsciousness as the truck continued to hit pothole after pothole along the dusty road. The last thought he had was of Peyton and he prayed that he would make it through this to see her beautiful green eyes, hear her beautiful laugh, and tease her about her car once again.

So what would you think of me now?

_So lucky, so strong, so proud,_

_I never said thank you for that, _

_And now I'll never have a chance _

**

* * *

**

Tree Hill, North Carolina

**4:30 AM**

Peyton pressed play on her iPod and let the familiar strains of _Hear You Me_ by Jimmy Eat World wash over her. The familiar song was comforting, but at the same time, made her want to cry more. It seemed to stand for everything she was feeling at that moment in time.

Forcing herself to get off of her bed, Peyton walked over to her record shelf. There was a picture on it, one that had always been her favorite since the day it had been taken. IT was of her and Lucas, taken the day Lucas had been accepted into UNC-W. It was at the river court during a meteor shower. Above their heads, a comet was soaring past. The picture was even more ironic because they were leaning up against Peyton's car; a Mercury Comet. Lucas had often joked that Peyton had been the comet that lit up his sky. Peyton often told him that he had fixed her heart the same day he fixed her car.

"Peyton?"

Nathan's voice on the outside of her door pulled Peyton from her memories about those days before she left for California and before he left for UNC-W. She walked over to the door and let him in.

"What do you want, Nathan?" she asked, sniffing slightly and wiping the tears away from her eyes furiously.

"Haley's asleep. She cried herself to sleep ten minutes ago. I wanted to make sure you were okay before I leave," Nathan said, taking her small hand in his.

"I lost him, Nathan,' Peyton whispered, feeling the tears start to flood her eyes again. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"He's not dead yet," Nathan said fiercely. Peyton looked at him, astonished. He looked angered and scared at the same time. "He can't be, Peyton. If he is, I'll never forgive myself."

The fear Nathan felt won over the anger and before Peyton knew it, Nathan was hugging her and crying into her shoulder. She could only rub his back soothingly, while mentally flipping out. Nathan never cried. She had known him for close to seven years and not once had he cried.

_May angels lead you in, _

_Hear you me, my friends,_

_On sleepless roads the sleepless go,_

_May angels lead you in_

**

* * *

**

Iraq

**Time and Place Unknown**

The truck stopped suddenly with a screech of wheels and whine of the engine. Two doors slammed, making Rachel jump into consciousness. Beside her, Lucas's wound was bleeding again and he looked whiter than he had back in the cave. Derek was staring anxiously at the injured, not noticing that Rachel was awake.

"You, out," a gruff voice with a heavy accent said. Rachel turned and saw that a man had a gun pointed at her in one hand and was motioning for her to get out of the truck with the other.

Rachel did so hesitantly, not wanting to leave Lucas or Derek behind, but having no choice in the matter. Derek looked up from Lucas and locked eyes with hers. He was terrified, that much was obvious. The same horror and fear that Rachel felt was reflected in the other's eyes.

"Hurry up," the man with the gun said, clicking it into place. Rachel gulped and managed to worm her way out of the truck, doing the best she could with her hands tied behind her back.

"Halt," the man said when she was a little ways away from the truck. "Now, you."

He was pointing at Derek, that much Rachel could see. She heard a faint swear, followed by a thump. Footsteps walked over to her, and suddenly, Derek was standing beside her.

"How is he?" Rachel asked worriedly, keeping her voice low so the man with the gun wouldn't hear her.

"Bad," Derek whispered back. "He's not going to last much longer without help. That bullet is lead."

"Lead poisoning?" Her voice was faint and shocked. Lead poisoning was bad, that much she remembered from those first aid classes back in high school. Rachel now wished she had paid more attention to the lessons on how to deal with someone with lead poisoning.

"Yeah," he said softly. "I just hope they don't kill him right away. He might have a chance if they don't."

"How?" Rachel asked, puzzled. Her voice was slightly louder than it should have been.

"No talking," the man with the gun said, hitting Rachel with the butt of the gun on her calf. She winced, knowing that that would leave a huge bruise. The man walked away, climbing onto the truck and grabbing Lucas by the shoulders. He yanked the unconscious blonde out of the truck and set him roughly on the ground in front of Derek and Rachel. Rachel had to force herself not to kneel down and make sure he was okay. It was a close call.

"Oh god," Derek said, his voice a shocked whisper. Rachel looked at him in alarm.

"What?" she hissed.

"Does Lucas have a heart condition?" he asked, looking at her. He winced as the man with the gun smacked him hard in the back. Rachel nodded once, making it look as though she had a bug near her ear. Derek got the message, though.

The man with the gun shouted something in a strange language and two other men with guns appeared out of the shadows. The first man muttered something and pointed at Lucas. The men seemed to understand and roughly picked up the injured and started walking away, heading towards a low, white building.

"Follow them," the first man said gruffly, pointing towards the building. "If either of you try to escape, your friend dies."

Derek started walking, holding his head up high to show that he wasn't going to be defeated. Rachel walked after him, trying to look braver than she felt.

_May angels lead you in_

**Iraq**

**Time and Place Unknown**

The building turned out to be a prison block. There were rows of cells on either side of the dimly lit hallway. Only one other cell was occupied, though the person who occupied it looked worse than Lucas did. He looked dead. _He probably is,_ Rachel thought, hurrying to catch up with Derek who was already several feet down the aisle.

The men who were carrying Lucas stopped suddenly in front of the last cell in the row. The first man with the gun pulled a ring of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the cell door. He slid it open and nodded his head. The men walked into the cell and dropped Lucas unceremoniously in a corner of the tiny cell, before backing out.

"In," the first man said rudely, pushing both of them in. Rachel stumbled and fell. Derek caught her before she hit the ground and helped her back to her feet. That was when Rachel realized he didn't have the ropes around his wrist anymore.

"How-"

Derek's warning look made Rachel stop in mid-sentence.

"I'll undo yours in a minute," he said. "But let me do something first."

He walked over to Lucas and gently touched him on the shoulder. Lucas opened his eyes and blinked twice.

"W-where are we?" he asked, his voice hoarse and cracked. Rachel felt relief well up inside of her as he said that, but it was shot down instantly when Derek glared at him.

"Are you suicidal?" he half-shouted. "How could you not tell anyone that you have a damn heart condition?"

"I'm fine," Lucas said, grimacing as he tried to stand up. He placed a hand over his wound and attempted it again. He managed to stand up, but wasn't able to stay standing. His legs shuddered and he slid back along the wall.

Derek's glare softened into a look of concern. Lucas looked away from his stare and turned to look at Rachel.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper. Derek watched as Lucas slowly shook his head.

"No," he said. "But my heart is fine. Has been for a while now, since Brooke-." He broke off abruptly and turned away from the both of him. He didn't want to talk, that much was obvious. None of them were really that close and talking about personal things was out of the question.

"Rachel, do you still want me to undo your hands?" Derek asked, changing the subject. Lucas shot him a grateful look before continuing to stare off into space.

Rachel slowly nodded, watching Lucas carefully. She didn't miss the tear that slid down his dirt caked face or the flinch that occurred when he breathed in too deeply. Lucas wasn't okay, that much was obvious.

_And if you were with me tonight, _

_I'd sing to you just one more time,_

_A song for our hearts, so big,_

_But God wouldn't let it live_

**

* * *

**

Tree Hill, North Carolina

**9:30 AM**

The next day, Peyton woke up in an unfamiliar room in an uncomfortable, unfamiliar position. As the memories of last night slowly came to her, she began to realize exactly where she was. She was on the couch of Brooke's new apartment. She had come over late the night before, knowing her friend would be home. Brooke had been a mess; she had just found out about Rachel, Lucas, and Derek. Peyton had stayed to help her out.

Brooke was asleep next to Peyton on the small couch. They had stayed up watching a mindless sitcom neither of them enjoyed. Brooke held Peyton while she cried about Lucas and Derek while she held Brooke while she cried about Rachel and Lucas. Sometime during that crying fest, they had both fallen asleep. Now, Peyton decided it was time to return to Haley and Nathan's and make sure they were okay. Nathan had gone back to the room he shared with Haley after he composed himself. She just hoped both of them were going to be okay.

"Peyton?"

Brooke's soft rasp made Peyton look over at her friend. She raised an eyebrow questioningly, having next to no energy to speak.

"Do you think they're going to be okay, Peyton?"

"I hope so, Brooke, I sure hope so."

_May angels lead you in, _

_Hear you me, my friends,_

_On sleepless roads the sleepless go,_

_May angels lead you in_

**

* * *

**

Lyrics were

_**Hear You Me**_** by Jimmy Eat World. Read and review, please!!**


	10. And The Darkness Shall Overcome Us

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading and reviewing this story so far! I was a little hesitant in writing this because I'm not up to date on all the military stuff, so I'm making this up as I go along. I hope I'm getting most of it right!**

**Author's Note 2: The chapters are going to become grimmer after this as more and more time passes. **

**

* * *

**

Fallen Hero

**Chapter 10**

Red. The color of blood as it seeped from a wound. No, she couldn't think that. She had to believe that everything would be okay, that she wouldn't lose them to the redness the same way he had lost Keith and the same way she had lost her mothers. She had to refuse he would succumb to the redness that took over everything she touched.

Black. His escape from everything was the blackness that now consumed him. It was safe. Nothing could ever touch him there. Not pain, not those awful memories that caused this blackness… nothing. It was his one out from the world of pain. No color could break through the blackness. He was safe.

_Which way is up?_

_I am so lost, so confused_

_Drowning in this sea of darkness,_

_I have lost the light,_

_I have lost my will to fight_

**

* * *

**

Iraq

**Time and Place Unknown**

The door to the cell slid open and Lucas was thrown to his knees inside. It had been like this every day for the past three weeks since they had arrived here. One of them would be taken out of the cell once a day for an hour before being returned in extremely bad condition. None of them talked about what happened to them while they were out there. It was an unspoken agreement.

"You okay?"

Derek's faint voice came from the left corner of the cell. Rachel and Derek were sitting next to each other, both very concerned. They worried about him more then they worried about each other because he was still feeling the effects of the bullet wound.

"Yeah," Lucas answered, his voice breaking slightly. He picked himself off of the ground and limped over to where Derek and Rachel were sitting.

Rachel had survived the whole ordeal pretty much unscathed, aside from a handful of bruises and scratches along her arms. Derek hadn't been so lucky. His left arm hung at an awkward angle and he had deep cuts along his legs and face. Lucas had been the worse out of the three, even without the gunshot wound. He had huge welts down his back from where someone had taken a piece of rope and smacked it into him. His right ankle was sprained and he had done some damage to his recently healed arm. On top of that, Lucas was having problems breathing every time he came back.

"You sure?" Rachel pressed, scooting closer to him. Lucas winced as she gingerly placed an arm around his neck.

"Yeah," Lucas said, closing his eyes and swallowing hard. He put one hand against his aching chest and the other against his stomach. His heart twisted painfully in his chest once and then the longed for blackness washed over him.

_The battle is over,_

_They have won,_

_I have lost my guiding light,_

_I have lost the will to fight_

**

* * *

**

Tree Hill, North Carolina

**Noon**

The strains of the piano died away as Haley placed her head in her hands. This had been going on for the past three weeks since they had heard about Lucas. She tried to write a song and failed miserably and always ended up crying beside the piano. Sooner or later, Nathan or Jamie would show up and she would force herself to put on a happy face for them. It just wasn't worth it anymore. Her best friend was gone. There was nothing left in her.

"Haley?"

The voice was a familiar one, but not one she had been expecting. It was Peyton, who had just emerged from the shower. The blonde girl looked utterly defeated, as though she had gone missing instead of Lucas. She was a shell of her former self.

"Yeah, Peyton?"

"That song sounded really good," she said, hesitantly. Peyton looked torn between the decision to stay and listen to it or flee to the safety of her bedroom.

"Come, sit," Haley said, patting the piano bench in invitation for her friend to sit down.

"Hales, what's wrong?"

Peyton had always been too damn perceptive for her own good. She had always been able to read Haley like an open book, much like Lucas. Unfortunately, that was the last thing Haley wanted right now.

"The same thing that's wrong with you," Haley whispered, feeling the tears well up in the back of her eyes. "The same thing that's wrong with Nathan, Skills, Mouth, and everyone else that he was close to."

The tears were falling now. She let Peyton pull her in close and rested her head on her friend's shoulder. Peyton let her cry, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Hales, what are we going to do?" Peyton asked, feeling tears of her own sting the back of her eyes. "It's been nearly a month since Lucas disappeared. There has been no news of him. What if he doesn't make it? What if it's already too late?"

Haley pulled away from her friend, drying her face with the back of her hand.

"You can't think like that," she said. "If we do, Lucas might as well be dead anyways. He _will_ make it, Peyton. I bet you anything that in another few weeks, he will be walking through that door. You'll see."

The world spins round and round,

_Never stopping, never slowing,_

_Everything becomes a hazy blur,_

_Before the darkness washes over me again_

**

* * *

**

Iraq

**Time and Place Unknown**

Rachel was the only one awake. Lucas had passed out from the pain and exhaustion three hours ago and Derek had fallen asleep for lack of better things to do. Still, Rachel stayed awake, watching Lucas breathe in and out. It comforted her to know that he was still alive and still fighting; that there was someone out there worth living for. Rachel knew that if it were her that was going through everything that Lucas was going through right now, she would have given up a long time ago. She probably would have let herself die in that first car accident so many years ago. But he still kept holding on, because he knew that there was someone out there still waiting for him to come home.

Watching him sleep, Rachel couldn't help but wish she had someone like Lucas in her life, someone who would fight against all odds to be with her, someone who would fight against everything to save her. Rachel wished she had her own hero, now more than ever, in this pit of despair.

"I'm not TV, you know," Lucas rasped, his voice no louder than Derek's breathing. Rachel started; she hadn't realized that he was awake. She blinked and looked back at him. He was looking at her with wide blue eyes that were full of pain and suffering, as well as a distant longing in them. Rachel had never seen such a heartbreaking gaze in her life.

"Why do you do it, Luke?" she asked quietly, inching closer to him so he wouldn't have to talk as loud.

"Do what?" Lucas asked, his voice softer than ever. He was in a lot of pain, that much was obvious. Rachel wished that there were something she could do for him.

"Fight so damn hard against everything," she said, trying to judge his reaction. "You have had a lot of bad things happen to you, yet you're still a good guy. I just want to know why you keep trying when everything else is against you. I don't think I've ever seen anyone try as hard as you do."

Lucas smiled slightly at her, or at least he attempted to. It came out looking more like a grimace, but at least he tried.

"What's there to gain by being a good person, you mean? I asked myself that once," he said, his blue eyes a million miles away. "It was right after I had my first heart attack. I had this vision while I was unconscious. I asked the person in my vision what there was to gain by being a good person. Haley was in the hospital at the time, too, because she saved Nathan's life from a loan shark. I asked if it was worth it. The person in my vision showed me things that I really didn't want to see, but it made me realize that I gained everything by being a good person. Peyton lives because I went back into that school for her, Haley and Nathan made it through those rough times because I pretty much told Nathan he was being an ass and needed to get over it, and they're a family now because I have to be the hero. A lot of bad things have happened to me, yes, but in the end, the things I love win out over the things that happen to me."

Rachel looked at him, feeling tears sting the back of her eyes. He didn't deserve any of this, but he was going through it because he wanted to help those he loved more then anything in the world, more than even himself. Rachel couldn't even begin to understand the struggle he had gone through to get to where he was now.

Footsteps came down the cellblock they were in. Lucas stiffened in alarm as they stopped right outside of their door. Rachel held her breath as the door slowly slid open. The man that had brought them here in the first place was standing there, a blank expression on his face.

"You, out," he ordered, pointing at Rachel.

Lucas placed a hand on Rachel's arm and slowly shook his head.

"You're not taking her," he said, his voice low, but extremely firm. There was a current of malice running through it as well.

"I have orders. I take her," the man said, glaring at Lucas. Lucas glared stonily back for a moment, before struggling to stand.

"Take me instead. Leave her," he said. The man looked at him, surprised, while Rachel tried to change Lucas's mind.

"Luke, no, don't do this. Please, just let it go. I'll be fine," she whispered. Lucas merely shook his head, while fighting to stay standing.

"We have orders to take her," the man repeated. "Not you."

"Well, you're just going to have to defy those orders, aren't you? Cause you aren't taking her," Lucas said, his voice stronger now. He seemed a little surer of himself.

"We take her," the man said stubbornly.

"No, you aren't," Lucas said, just as stubbornly.

He would have gone on, had it not been for the huge explosion right outside their cell.

_The battle is over,_

_They have won,_

_I have lost my guiding light,_

_I have lost my will to fight_

**

* * *

**

Evil cliffy, I know. But that's what I'm known for!! I'm sorry that there wasn't very much Peyton/Nathan/Haley in this chapter, but I really couldn't think of anything to write for them. Maybe more next chapter… maybe not…

**The song lyrics are written by me! It's called 'The Battle Hath Come' and it's actually way longer than what I have written here. This is the end part of it. The other parts are less depressing. **

**Okay, so I'm going to cut it off here! Read and review, please! **


	11. What Is And Should Never Have Been

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: Thanks again for all the reviews you have been sending me. I will keep updating as long as you keep reviewing!**

**Author's Note 2: I would add the Iraq times to the story, except I don't know the time difference between Eastern US time zone and the Iraq time zone… so I'm just going to keep doing Time Unknown for all the Iraq scenes. If anyone knows it, feel free to tell.**

**

* * *

**

Fallen Hero

**Chapter 11**

**Iraq**

**Time and Place Unknown **

The explosion broke though the strong, cement walls of the cell and sent large chunks of debris and dust flying everywhere. The air was clogged with dirt and smoke, making it impossible to breathe.

Lucas had been knocked to the ground when the blast had gone off. His already sprained ankle had broken when a piece of cement hit him and the make-shift bandages he had created for his stomach wound were torn off. It was now bleeding horribly, but that wasn't the worst of it. Lucas had been off his HCM medication for the past three weeks now. His heart was beginning to give out under the stress.

Rachel had been hit in the stomach by a stray piece of cement from the walls. It had hit her hard, knocking the breath out of her. Another piece had hit her square in the chest, injuring one of her ribs. She was fine outside of the bruises and the cracked ribs.

Derek was another story altogether. His already injured arm had been pinned when a cement block fell on top of him, shattering it completely. Since he had been asleep when the blast occurred, he had been smacked in the head and was now deep in a state of unconsciousness. There were numerous other injuries he had received, but hadn't felt yet.

The man who Lucas had been arguing with had disappeared in the explosion, escaping to a distant spot. He had been unscathed.

Rachel forced herself into a sitting position, though her ribs shrieked in protest. The dust and debris settled down some, making breathing easier. She rubbed her eyes to clear them to be able to see what was going on. She sighed in relief as she saw the familiar uniforms of the American army. Help had arrived at last! That was when she noticed that Lucas wasn't there.

**

* * *

**

Tree Hill, North Carolina

**9:30 PM**

Peyton was lying on her back, listening to the sounds of the rain hitting the ground outside. She had escaped to the sanctuary of her room after Nathan came home and took over the duty of comforting Haley.

Her room was unusually quiet, save for the sound of the rain outside. No music played from the stereo in the corner and none was blasting from her iPod either. It was deathly quiet.

A knock on her door made Peyton tear her gaze away from the large window and look towards the entrance.

"Peyton, it's me."

Nathan's muffled voice sounded weary through the door.

Peyton instantly slid off the bed and pulled the door open, revealing a very exhausted looking Nathan. He looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks, which was probably the truth. His blue eyes were red and bloodshot and had extremely large, black circles underneath them. Peyton felt guilty for not noticing this sooner.

"Nate, what's up?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. There was something in Nathan's face that made Peyton nervous.

"They found Derek and Rachel in a POW camp not too far from the Iranian border," he said, leaning against the door jam. There were tears in his eyes. "They'll be shipped home soon. They're at the headquarter for medical care in Iraq right now."

"What about Lucas?" Peyton asked, her voice rising two octaves.

"He was there, at the POW camp, but an explosion happened and both the person who held them hostage and Lucas went missing," Nathan said, allowing himself to slide down the edge of the door jam. He was sitting in the middle of the floor, his knees curled up to his chin. Tears were beginning to fall from his eyes.

Peyton barely registered this as she sat next to him. Derek was safe and on his way home. Lucas, on the other hand, was gone.

Tears flooded her eyes as she came to the realization that she would more than likely never see him again.

**

* * *

**

Iraq

**Time and Place Unknown**

"Where is the nuclear bomb base?" the man asked, driving his fist into Lucas's already bleeding face.

Lucas had no idea what this guy was talking about and told him so repeatedly. However, all he had to show for it was a broken nose and two black eyes, as well as all the other injuries that came before this.

It had been three days since he had been taken from that vile POW camp to wherever he was now. The constant beatings had been going on daily, starting at dawn and ending only when the man who was causing all of this got tired. Lucas couldn't do anything about it either; he had been tied up against something, completely unable to move.

"I t-told you," Lucas said, trying to get a deep breath. The torture thing wasn't helping his aching heart any. It was just making it worse. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do," the man said, angrily. He slammed the butt of his gun into Lucas's chest, causing the blonde to grunt in pain.

"If I did, I would have told you already," he said, gasping for air. His heart was beating rapidly and painfully inside his chest, creating black spots in his already blurred vision.

Lucas heard the voice of the man, but couldn't understand what he was saying. All he felt was pain as he succumbed to unconsciousness, where he hoped he would stay until this nightmare was over.

**

* * *

**

Iraq

**Base Headquarters Hospital Wing**

**Time Unknown**

Derek opened his eyes to a bright, blinding white light that disoriented him. He was much too comfortable to still be in the POW camp and yet, too uncomfortable to be anywhere but in a hospital bed.

Sure enough, when Derek was able to focus properly, a tall, dark haired man wearing a white lab coat and carrying a clipboard was standing over him, a look of serious concern and a trace of boredom on his face.

"How are you feeling, Sergeant Summers?" the doctor asked. He didn't wait for a reply before prodding Derek's aching head with a cold, gentle finger. Derek winced inwardly at the contact, the memories of the POW camp torture still fresh in his mind.

"Like I've been hit like a bus," he said. The words came out sounding like garbled mush, due to the cottony feeling in his mouth and the burning sensation in his throat.

The doctor laughed once, before writing something down on his clipboard.

"Are you in any extreme pain that needs immediate attention?" he asked, continuing on with his assessment. Derek merely shrugged; not willing to admit the stabbing pain in his arm or the dull, steady ache in his head. Instead, he focused on the more important things in his opinion, such as where were Rachel and Lucas.

Derek had been keeping a watchful eye over Lucas since the start of the hellish events they had been put through lately. He hadn't known about the other man's heart condition until it was too late to do anything about it, but he had promised Peyton to look out for him. Derek now felt a sense of brotherly protection over Lucas as well, though the blonde obviously didn't need it.

The sound of the doctor's voice questioning him in a somewhat annoyed tone yanked Derek from his thoughts.

"Is there anything you want or need at this point in time?"

"How long have I been out?" Derek asked. "And what happened to my troop? What happened to Private Gatina and Private Scott?"

"You have been out for six days," the doctor said, his voice professional, but bored at the same time. "Your troop was wiped out a month and a half ago when soldiers from an enemy sector attacked without warning. We have been searching for you, Private Gatina, and Private Scott ever since. Private Gatina has made a full recovery physically from what you three went through during your stay at the POW camp. As for Private Scott…" The doctor trailed off, becoming suddenly interested in the blanket that Derek lay under.

"What happened to Private Scott?" Derek demanded, making an effort to keep his voice calm. It was a close call; the doctor was lucky he was in a hospital bed or otherwise Derek would've decked him.

"Private Gatina told us that he went missing directly after the bomb went off outside of your cell," the doctor said, looking at Derek with saddened eyes. "The nutcase in charge of your camp was also missing. We have a suspicion that Private Scott is in the hands of this man and most likely will not be seen again."

**

* * *

**

Tree Hill, North Carolina

**11:45 PM**

Nathan finally was calm enough to stop the tears flowing down his face. He wiped the stray ones away and looked over at Peyton, who was now fast asleep against the wall. She looked like she was lost and in pain, even in her sleep. It broke Nathan's heart to know that this was all his fault.

Not wanting her to be in any more pain than she already was, Nathan carefully lifted Peyton off the ground and laid her gently on the bed, before covering her with a blanket. He kissed her forehead once, like he so often did with Haley and Jamie, before turning out the light.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Nathan closed the door to Peyton's room and headed down the hallway to the room he shared with Haley. He paused right outside the door, uncertain of whether he should go in or not. Lately, he had been questioning if he could continue being everyone's rock when this was killing him as much as everyone else. It was his brother that was missing, for god's sake, and everyone expected him to be fine and steady! This was not his role, it was Lucas's.

Deciding not to get into another conversation he wouldn't be able to deal with, Nathan turned around and walked down the stairs of his house and out the front door. He needed to be alone for a while, and knew exactly the place to do it.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Nathan pulled Lucas's mustang into the cemetery of Tree Hill. He had no idea what on earth possessed him to come here; it seemed like a really bad omen for what was to come. It would have made much more sense to go to the river court. That was healthy. _This_ was not. This place made the horrors of the nightmares he was having lately seem that much more real. This was the worst place he could come.

A shadow moved in the darkness, making Nathan jump in terror. He sighed in relief when he realized it was just the wind playing with the trees in the moonlight.

Forcing himself to calm down and not have full on hysterics, Nathan got out of the mustang and headed up the small slope to the top of the cemetery, where Keith Scott's grave sat. Nathan knelt beside it, feeling a strange wave of calm wash over him as he did so.

"Hey, Keith," he said, feeling slightly awkward talking to a stone in the middle of a graveyard. It was eerie. "I know I haven't been by and I'm sorry about that. It's just that Lucas took my place in the draft and now he's MIA. No one is sure if he's still alive anymore. This is all my fault, and I know it is. If I hadn't told Lucas about the damn draft letter, then it would be me out there right now, not him. Everything would have been okay.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Keith. Everyone is counting on me to be there for them, and I just can't take it anymore. I don't know how to give advice to anyone; it's usually _them_ giving the advice to me! I can't do it. I can't keep pretending to be strong. I need to break down every once in a while too."

"_It's all right, Nathan. Just breathe. Everything is going to be okay."_

**

* * *

**

Here is the long awaited for update. I will try to update again as soon as possible! Read and review, pretty please.


	12. What Is Lost Is Always Found

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: I would like to say thank you for all the great reviews. I am really glad you all are liking this story so much. It has inspired me to keep writing. **

**

* * *

**

Fallen Hero

**Chapter 12**

**Between Life and Death**

**No Time **

Each passing minute, Lucas found himself being pulled closer and closer to the soft, warm white light in the distance. It was at the end of a long tunnel; one Lucas was already halfway through. He had no idea how long he had been walking along the tunnel's edge, but it felt like forever and in the blink of an eye all at the same moment.

A huge force seemed to be holding him back from reaching the tunnel. It was as if someone had put their hands on his shoulders and was desperately trying to get him to turn away from the light. But every time he turned around, Lucas saw nothing. There was nothing left for him on the other side of the tunnel, except pain and loneliness. Or was there?

Somewhere deep inside of his heart, Lucas knew that there were people at the entrance to the tunnel, praying for him to return. They were on the opposite end of where he was walking, though. They were the givers of the pain and loneliness, or at least, some of them were. Lucas couldn't bring himself to turn away from the comforting light in the distance to go back to the few who had brought him happiness in the past. Not even Peyton could save him from this. It was too late, he was too far gone. At least, he thought he was.

He had no long how long he walked along that tunnel, but suddenly, a force stopped him and started pushing him back towards the aching darkness. Lucas tried his best to keep walking towards the light, but the force refused to let up. Lucas gave up trying to fight it and sank to his knees, not being forced backwards, but at the same time, not moving forwards. He was stuck halfway between the two. And that is where he would stay for a long while.

**

* * *

**

Tree Hill, North Carolina

**3:00 PM**

Peyton lay motionless on her bed, staring up at the ceiling while doing her best to tune out the music in the background. She knew she could just turn it off, but then the silence would envelop her and that was the last thing she wanted. Peyton wanted to do nothing, but at the same time, be doing something other then thinking about Lucas and what was happening to him at that moment.

It had been exactly four weeks, three days, two hours, thirty-five minutes, ten seconds, and nineteen milliseconds since they had received the news about Lucas. Derek and Rachel had opted not to come home after all, staying in Iraq. Their reasoning was simple: they wanted to be the ones who found out news about Lucas and make up the rescue party. Peyton wished she could share their faith that Lucas would be found again, but she just couldn't. After her father's death, it had been like a part of her had died too, the part that held on and hoped. The feeling of despair had increased when Lucas had disappeared from the face of the earth.

Lucas. The thought alone brought back many painfully happy memories, such as the first time they had met. Peyton felt tears begin to streak down her face as she remembered that day next to the river when her car had broken down. Lucas had truly saved her life that day, probably without realizing it. He had pulled her from the depression she had been sinking in to with Nathan and Brooke. He had been her life preserver in the middle of a hurricane and had been everyday since.

Peyton let herself sink into the memory, wanting to be anywhere else but here at the moment. She figured the past was the best place to be, even though it was painful to imagine _his_ face, _his_ voice, and _his_ mannerisms.

"'_That's me inside your head,'" Lucas said, leaning against the side of his uncle's red tow truck. _

_Peyton looked at him, surprised and angry at the same time. She had just been thinking about how different this Scott was from the three she had grown accustomed to. He seemed more reserved and careful, not as easy to trust people. With a jolt, Peyton realized that he reminded her so much of __**her**__. That was why she flipped out when he said that._

"_What?" she demanded, turning to face him. She had been staring out at the river until that point._

"_NOFX… 'That's me inside your head'…" Lucas trailed off, obviously realizing that conversation was hopeless. He let his hand fall to his side, the one that had been pointing at her notebook._

"_I know the song," Peyton said, with a shake of her curls. Suddenly, the anger at him for just assuming she didn't know the song, the anger at Nathan for not coming for her even though it had been close to an hour since she called, and her intense feelings for the brooding blonde boy near her welled up inside her. Lucas was saying something that Peyton didn't hear, though it sounded like, 'Let me take you home.' _

"_GOD! Why are guys such jerks?" she exploded. Lucas smirked at her, before asking the inevitable question._

"_Guys or just Nathan?"_

"_Nathan," Peyton said slowly, glaring at him. "You."_

The memory faded but it was quickly replaced by another one, one that was extremely different then the one she had just left. It was right after the Ravens had won the state championship.

"_Hey," Peyton said, walking up to where Haley and Lucas were talking at the counter of Karen's Café. Lucas looked up and smiled at her. _

"_Hales, have you met my girlfriend Peyton Sawyer?" he asked, still smiling. _

_Peyton smiled embarrassedly as well, feeling extremely self-conscious._

"_Oh, god," she said, before walking away. She was blushing the entire time. _

_She heard Haley say something to Lucas and he replied, before coming after her. He pulled her into the corner of the café, sweeping her up into a sweet, passionate kiss. _

"_I'm liking this conversation," Peyton said, smiling as she placed his hands gently on his chest._

"_How would you like to have it exclusively?" Lucas asked, his voice husky with desire. Peyton couldn't resist teasing him. _

"_With who?" she asked, pretending to be confused. _

"_With me, of course," Lucas said. Peyton smiled happily, before nodding. He sighed heavily. "I've got to go."_

"_How about we finish this conversation at my house later, then?" she suggested. Lucas nodded his agreement, kissing her one last time, before disappearing…_

Peyton felt tears slide harder down her face as she remembered the night in Honey Grove, Texas when they all had gone after Mouth and ended up going to Honey Grove High's prom. It had been a magical night for everyone. After that, Peyton fell deeper and deeper into the memories, letting them whisk her away to a happier time.

**

* * *

**

Base Headquarters, Iraq

**Time Unknown**

Derek stared at the computer screen in surprise. There was a slight movement on the edge of the screen, near a large cavern, which he immediately zoomed in on for all the others to see.

Derek was sitting in a conference room with three other military captains that were in charge of the search and rescue of Lucas. Rachel was also in the room. They were searching via Google Earth Real Time for Lucas's captor. So far, they had had no luck. Everywhere they had tried had been empty and devoid of life. Until today.

Derek zoomed in even closer then before, and suddenly, the entire screen was filled with the picture of the cavern. Just outside was a man easily recognizable: the man who had been in charge of the POW camp that Rachel and Derek had checked out of a month earlier. Just inside the cavern, was a sitting, tied figure.

With a sense of dread, Derek knew exactly who it was. It was Lucas.

**

* * *

**

Tree Hill, North Carolina

**3:15 PM**

Nathan sat outside on the patio, staring out at the lawn. Jamie was shooting baskets at the small hoop Nathan had gotten for him for his third birthday, while Haley was doing some garden work. Nathan supposed he could help her, but couldn't find the energy to.

There was a distant ringing, followed by low voices. Then, Peyton appeared out on the patio, the cordless phone in her hand.

"It's for you," she said, tossing him the phone. With one last glance at Haley, Peyton then disappeared through the glass doors and retreated back to her room.

Nathan put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"_This is Colonel Peterson, with the search and rescue unit,"_ a low, smooth voice said. _"We are calling about your brother, Lucas Scott."_

Three things raced through Nathan's mind at that moment. One, the obvious. The man said Lucas instead of Nathan, which meant Derek and Rachel had finally broken down and told them about the switch. Two, was that the search and rescue unit commander was calling him, not Derek or Rachel as it usually was. Three, the man didn't sound sad, which Nathan took as a good sign, though he knew most military people were good at hiding their emotions. This had to be good news.

"What can I do for you sir?" Nathan asked, sitting up straighter. Haley abandoned her gardening and looked over at him, hope visible in her beautiful brown eyes. Nathan unconsciously felt his heart leap at the sight of the emotion. He hoped that this was good news. He couldn't bear the thought of telling his beautiful wife anything bad.

"_We're pretty certain that we've located Lucas. We are putting together a force to go and rescue him as I speak,"_ Colonel Peterson said. _"However, I am one man shy of a full force. I know it's a lot to ask and it will be exceedingly dangerous, but would you be interested in joining the force that will rescue your brother?"_

Nathan's immediate response was 'hell yes'. But then Haley caught his eye again, forcing him to reconsider.

"May I call you back? I have to talk this over with my wife," Nathan said. There was a slight pause on the other end of the line.

"_I will call again tomorrow at three pm your time,"_ the colonel said. _"You can give me your decision then, Nathan."_

Then, the connection was lost.

Haley completely abandoned her gardening and came over to Nathan.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, her eyes looking deeply at him.

"They might have found Lucas," Nathan said, unable to keep the faint shock and disbelief out of his voice. They said they would more than likely never be able to locate Lucas. It was impossible.

"What?"

Haley's own surprise and joy was reflected in her voice.

"They want me to join the force to go and rescue him," Nathan said, looking at Haley. She stared back, fear and confusion showing plainly on her face.

**

* * *

**

I know, I know, this chapter was way too short. But I had writer's block on this section… so I figured short and sweet was the way to go. Okay, so I'll update again later!! Read and review please! Oh, and what do you all think about Nathan going off to Iraq to rescue Lucas?


	13. Fear Is A FourLetter Word

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: Lucas's voiceovers are in italics.**

**

* * *

**

Fallen Hero

**Chapter 13 **

_Fear. A four-letter word, whose meaning is simple, yet complicated at the same time. The feeling you get when your husband is about to go out on a daring rescue mission, possibly leaving you forever._

Haley stood at the bus station, feeling a distinct sense of déjà vu. She felt as though this scene was too familiar, too eerie. It reminded her of two and a half months ago when Nathan was originally supposed to ship out, but ended up not going because of her idiot of a best friend. Ironically, though, it was because of her idiot best friend that Nathan was leaving today to go out to Iraq to save her idiot of a best friend.

"Hales, I'll be all right," Nathan said, pulling Haley out of her thoughts. She looked at him, tears stinging the back of her eyes.

"I know," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "But it just hurts to be away from you, even for two weeks. Especially when you're doing something that can get you killed."

"I _will_ return," Nathan promised, pulling her close to him. "And Lucas will be with me. I promise. Nothing could ever keep me away."

"Always," Haley whispered, stretching up to kiss him.

"And forever," Nathan finished, feeling bad when he had to break away. He didn't want to leave his wife, especially now. But as much as he wanted to stay, his duty to find his brother was stronger then his desire to stay. It was hard and heartbreaking.

"I love you so much," Haley murmured, kissing him one last time. She broke away too soon, and gave him a gentle push.

"I love you, too, Hales," Nathan said, taking a few steps away.

"Keep Lucas safe for me," Haley called after him. Nathan nodded, showing that he understood. Then, as Haley stood by watching, he disappeared into the bus station and away from her.

_

* * *

_

The feeling you get when your friend and comrade is out there, possibly dying, and you have to face all odds to go and get him because this was all your fault to begin with.

Rachel paced nervously around the tiny waiting room of the base headquarters' airport. Nathan's plane was due to arrive any minute. Then, they'd be heading out virtually the second he landed to go and find Lucas.

In many ways, Rachel knew that this entire mission was her fault. If she hadn't been such a wimp inside that POW cell, then Lucas wouldn't have had to stand up for her. He wouldn't have been such an easy target when the building blew apart, either. Rachel also knew that if she hadn't been so afraid when the bullets started whizzing overhead that first time out in the field, Lucas would never had to have risk his life to save hers.

Rachel had refused to go home to Brooke and all the people back in Tree Hill that loved her because she wanted the chance to apologize to Lucas for what she did to him. She might not have actually pulled the trigger or abused him, but Rachel felt that she might as well have.

Even though she had chosen to stay, Rachel was still scared as hell about this entire thing. She wasn't sure if she would be able to handle seeing Lucas and knowing that she was to blame for the state he was in. It almost made her back out.

Only Peyton's brother, Derek, was stopping her from getting on the next plane and flying back home. Derek had been her saving grace these past few weeks, making her almost believe this entire thing wasn't her fault. He had also been encouraging her to stop blaming herself for things she couldn't control, such as Lucas's decisions. Rachel found herself beginning to like the unemotional sergeant.

"Flight 375i has now landed," the flight attendant announced.

Rachel exchanged a glance with Derek, before the other stood up and walked over to the door. Rachel stayed where she was as he disappeared through the door. He came back not ten minutes later with an all too familiar face behind him, one Rachel hadn't seen since the senior party after graduation.

"Hey, Nathan," she said.

_

* * *

_

The feeling you get when you know there is a sixty-forty chance that you won't make it through the hellish nightmare to see the one you love more then anything in the world.

The tunnel was getting darker as Lucas found himself being pushed back even farther by the force that wanted to keep him away from the light.

As he was pushed back, Lucas became more aware of what was happening around him. He wished that he would be allowed to go back to the white light, but he knew that it would never happen. Not as long as there was someone out there worth fighting for.

A distinct sound of gunfire pulled Lucas from his dark haze. The sound of yelling and someone shouting his name pushed him into consciousness. As someone's rough hands yanked him up and forced him to stand on his injured ankle, Lucas was able to focus on where he was. His surroundings became clear, just as someone touched a gun to his head.

"Don't move or you will be killed," someone said, his voice quiet at first. Raising it, he added, "If anyone moves an inch closer then where they are now, he will be killed."

Lucas looked out at the desert surrounding the cave. The US Army was surrounding the cave, but that's not what caught his eye. It was his brother, standing next to both Derek and Rachel.

_

* * *

_

The feeling you get when your brother is dragged out of a cave and has a gun aimed at his head.

Nathan felt a twinge of terror go down his spine as the strange man who had held Lucas captive for six weeks pulled an extremely thin person out of the cave. The person blinked in the bright sunlight, obviously unaccustomed to the intensity of the sun after being in the cave for so long.

As the person looked around and met Nathan's eyes, he instantly recognized the person. It was Lucas.

"Nathan, stay here," Rachel whispered to him. He looked at her, uncomprehending. Lucas was injured and now had a gun pointed at his head and Rachel seriously expected him to stay put?

"We have a plan and don't need you ruining it," Derek said, just as quietly. "This is the only chance we have and if anything at all goes wrong, Lucas will die and there is a great chance that we all will."

Nathan glared at the both of them, knowing they were right.

"What's your plan?" he asked, staring at Lucas. The other Scott looked badly injured and he seemed to be caked in blood and dirt. Lucas had also lost a ton of weight and looked no more then a breathing skeleton.

"Two of us break off and sneak around behind the man and Lucas and see if we can stop anything from happening before the others move in and capture this mad man," Derek explained, his voice barely audible. "It's going to be me and Rachel."

"Let me help," Nathan begged quietly. "Please."

Derek looked deeply at Nathan for a moment, before glancing quickly at Rachel, who merely shrugged.

"All right, but you're going to do exactly as I say," he said after a minute.

"Summers! Gatina! Now!"

_

* * *

_

Fear has many names and many forms. But identifying the fear you have is only half the battle. The other half is being able to face that fear, stand up, and defeat it once and for all. For without fear, there can be no quest, and with no quest, there can be no reward. And what is life without reward?

Lucas knew he wasn't going to last much longer. His heart muscles were already beginning to thicken, he could feel it. His breaths were coming shorter and farther apart. The world around him was beginning to swim, as if it were a snow globe. It soon became just a blur of colors.

"Lucas!"

Rachel's voice was loud and nearby, closer then it had been five minutes ago. Lucas blinked, trying to get his breathing under control. The effort was futile, though. His heart ached with each inhalation and felt as though someone were trying to drive a knife through it every time he exhaled.

"NO!"

Derek's loud yell made Lucas attempt to get his breathing under control again. He only just realized that the man who had been holding him captive was gone. Seconds later, a gun went off.

"Oh god!"

Rachel's whisper made Lucas realize that she was right next to him. It took him a split second to realize what she was going to do as the bullet came flying towards them.

"No, Rachel!" he yelled, his voice hoarse and barely above a whisper. Rachel looked at him with sad eyes for a heartbeat before moving in front of him. The bullet hit her squarely in the chest.

"I'm sorry, Luke," she said, her voice weaker then ever as she fell. Her legs were unable to support her.

"No!" Lucas whispered, catching her as she collapsed. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

Rachel took one final breath and lay still. Lucas knew she was dead.

"No!" he said again, his voice weaker then before. "Rachel, wake up!"

Lucas was keenly aware of the world spinning and getting fainter. He heard someone shout his name, before he fell backwards.

_

* * *

_

But sometimes rewards come at great costs. Such as someone sacrificing their life to allow you to live.

Nathan was already there when Lucas collapsed seconds after Rachel did. For a moment, he thought his brother had been shot instead of Rachel, until he remembered senior year right after the state championship.

Nathan caught Lucas as the blonde Scott collapsed. His brother still had Rachel in his arms, but the redhead was dead. There was nothing they could do for her. Lucas, on the other hand, was still alive, though he wasn't breathing.

"Can I get some help here?" he shouted towards the field doctors who were already rushing towards them.

"What happened?" one of them asked. It was a tall woman with shoulder length brunette hair and blue eyes. She crouched down next to them.

"I think Lucas had a heart attack," Nathan said, feeling tears sting the back of his eyes. He couldn't- wouldn't- let Lucas die, not after this. He had traveled hundreds of miles to save him and he just couldn't give up.

"That's understandable," the woman said, signaling to one of her followers to get a stretcher. "And her?"

"She's dead," Derek said bluntly. Nathan hadn't even noticed the man walk up until he was already there. "Watch out for Lucas's back."

"Huh?"

Nathan was puzzled, until he looked down and saw the blood seeping out of the ripped clothing and on to his shirt.

"We've got to get those cleaned and stitched up before they become infected," the woman said, her blue eyes looking distressed. Turning to Derek, she added, "Is there any other injuries that you know of that need to be addressed?"

"He has a bullet wound in his stomach," Derek said, his voice clipped and short. "And I think his right ankle is hurt too. I don't know anything else."

"We've got to get out of here," the woman murmured, just as one of her followers arrived with a stretcher. Two other people showed up and lifted Lucas out of Nathan's arms and on to the stretcher.

"Lay him on his side," the woman barked.

"Yes, General Clearwater," one of the others said, hastening to do what she said.

"You," she said, turning to Nathan. "Put Rachel on the other stretcher. We'll take her body back to base. I think her family would want a funeral."

Nathan nodded, to stunned by the turn of events to say anything else. He did as he was told.

_

* * *

_

The journey to the reward itself is hard. Not only do you have to face your fears, but you have to face losing the ones you love as well. Sometimes, the journey to the reward isn't worth the reward and many just give up, no matter how great the reward might be.

Half an hour and close to one hundred compressions later, Lucas was rushed into emergency surgery, leaving Derek and Nathan to wait in the waiting room of the hospital. Nathan left to go call Haley and Peyton, to tell them what happened.

Left alone, Derek sat down on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the waiting room and thought about Rachel. He felt, even though he hadn't known her long, that he really known her. He now couldn't imagine life without her. It seemed like an impossible fate.

For the first time since his dad left all those years ago, Derek allowed himself to let his guard down and cry.

_The reward, if you stay on the path, is always worth the journey. Those who lost their lives along the way mean more to those who hath completed their journey more then they did to begin with, for they gave their lives to allow others to succeed._

**

* * *

**

Okay, really weird chapter, I know. If you got lost or confused, let me know. Okay, so read and review, please!


	14. After The Battle

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.  
Author's Note: I have returned!**

**

* * *

**

Iraq

**Headquarters Hospital**

**Intensive Care Unit**

**Time Unknown**

The cottony feeling in his mouth would not go away, nor would the stabbing pain in every single muscle and joint in him. His head pounded painfully, his heart ached with each breath he took, there was something forcing air into his injured lungs, and it felt as though he had a two ton truck sitting on his leg. But he was alive. His body was on fire, he could barely stand to breathe, but he was _alive_. After everything that had happened, that was what mattered.

**

* * *

**

Iraq

**Headquarters Hospital**

**Time Unknown**

It had been three days since Nathan, Derek, and Rachel had gone on the rescue mission to rescue Lucas. Three excruciatingly long days. Lucas was already beginning to show signs of recovery underneath the gentle care of General Clearwater. He had gone under twice since arriving at the hospital the first day, but his heart rate was getting more stable and he was beginning to breathe on his own without the help of the ventilator. General Clearwater was becoming cautiously optimistic that Lucas would wake up.

Lucas's injuries had been numerous and severely life-threatening. His heart attack alone was a serious concerned, coupled with the blood poisoning from the bullet wound and a collapsed lung, he had been in critical condition and very touch and go. His lungs wouldn't operate on their own, so Lucas had been hooked up to a ventilator. Lucas had also had multiple back lacerations that went pretty deep. Unfortunately, there was no skin whatsoever on his back, so General Clearwater and her steady stream of nurses had to wait until the wounds had scabbed over before they could bandage them. It would cause more damage to bind them right now then to let them heal on their own.

Lucas's less serious injuries included a shattered leg that had been rebuilt with pins, screws, and plates, a sprained elbow, a mild concussion, and an infected scratch that he had received somewhere along the way.  
After nearly an entire day in surgery, Lucas had been put in the ICU of the large headquarters' hospital. He hadn't responded to treatment of his heart at first; it failed again within three hours of coming out of surgery. Somehow, though, General Clearwater had been able to revive him and now Lucas was beginning to heal.

Peyton, Haley, and Brooke had not been able to make it out to Baghdad yet. All the flights into Iraq had been cancelled due to a suicide bomber in the main airport and a shooting in one of the minor ones. All air traffic in and out had been halted immediately, preventing them from coming. Planes wouldn't be allowed to land in the airports of Iraq until the day after tomorrow. Haley had already booked three seats on the first flight to Iraq. She would be there at two o'clock in the afternoon with Peyton and Brooke. Nathan and Derek could hardly wait.

Derek had fallen into a quiet, moody funk since Rachel had been pronounced dead. Nathan figured that he had really liked the redhead, more then he would ever let on. He had tried to get the other man to talk on several occasions over the past three days, but the only subject he would respond to was Lucas. The rest of the time, he would just stare broodingly out the tiny, plastic window of the hospital, leaving Nathan to his thoughts. Nathan was beginning to see that Peyton had a lot more in common with Derek then she originally thought.

Nathan sat in the hospital chair next to Lucas's bed, flipping randomly through an old newspaper, not really reading it. He was keeping a steady eye on the clock, knowing that in ten minutes, Haley would call, wanting news of how Lucas was doing and what the situation was over there. Nathan could hardly wait to hear her voice. He had only been away from her for four days, but he felt as though it had been four years instead. He missed her terribly, and felt a shameful sense of gladness that Lucas had taken his place in this war. Nathan knew that he wouldn't have been able to stand the six scheduled months away from Haley. It was wrong to feel this way, Nathan knew, but he couldn't help himself. He just hoped Lucas would wake up and everything would be all right again.

As if tuned into Nathan's exact thoughts, Lucas's uninjured hand slowly drifted away from his side and found its way to Nathan's outstretched one. Nathan blinked in surprise, tearing his eyes away from the clock and newspaper to Lucas's face. Lucas was staring steadily back at him.

**

* * *

**

I know, I know, too short and not one of my best, but I did this as a filler chapter so you guys could find out what happened to Lucas and find out whether he would be okay. This will probably be one of the final chapters in this story… though I might be tempted to do another one. Might.

**I'm sorry for the delay in updates. I have been really busy lately. I will probably start updating on Sundays only for a while… I have other stuff to do during the week. **

**Please, continue to read and review! I appreciate them greatly and without them, I would have never written this much. Thanks to all of you!**


	15. Nightmares

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.**

**

* * *

**

Fallen Hero

**Chapter 15**

**Iraq**

**Headquarters Hospital**

**Time Unknown**

"Hey."

Nathan's surprised voice was what brought Lucas fully out of his pain filled haze. He had somehow managed to open his eyes ten minutes earlier. He wished he hadn't now, as the pain washed over him in waves.

"H-hey," Lucas managed to get out. Everything hurt. His chest hurt. His back hurt. His head ached and his leg throbbed. His throat stung with the effort of talking. But for once, Lucas didn't care about the pain.

"I'm glad you're alive, man," Nathan said. "Now I can officially kick your ass for doing that to everyone."

It would have been more threatening if he had managed to keep his voice from breaking. Lucas felt immensely guilty as he saw the tears form in Nathan's eyes.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, looking away from his brother.

"That's all you have to say?" Nathan was shocked. "You're sorry?"

"W-what happened?" Lucas rasped, forcing the words out. He remembered seeing Nathan outside of the cave and then was drawing a blank. He figured that there must've been some sort of rescue attempt, one that obviously worked if he was alive and in a hospital.

"I think that's a story for another time," a firm, clear, feminine voice said. It belonged to General Clearwater. "Glad to see you're finally awake."

Lucas looked away, wincing as another wave of pain crashed over him.

"How're you feeling?" she asked, catching the grimace on Lucas's face.

"Is that supposed to be a trick question?" Lucas rasped.

General Clearwater smirked as she checked Lucas's bandages. She winced as she looked at one of them, before replacing the sheet back over Lucas.

"I'll come back in a few minutes with some food. If all goes well, then you can be sent home in the next couple of weeks. You're very lucky, Lucas. I don't know of too many people who could survive what you went through," she said.

Lucas looked away, feeling embarrassed by the praise. It wasn't earned.

"Luke?"

Nathan was concerned. General Clearwater had left and Lucas was still staring at the wall as though it had just sprouted fangs or something.

"I'm fine, Nathan," Lucas murmured. "Just… sorry, about everything."

Nathan put a comforting hand on Lucas's shoulder, sending another wave of pain crashing through the older Scott.

"Sorry," Nathan mumbled, catching Lucas's look. "I'll try not to do that anymore."

"It's… not… your… fault," Lucas managed to get out. His breathing was becoming more ragged.

"Luke, you okay?"

"I'll live. Just really tired, Nate."

"Luke?"

"Hmm, Nate?"

"I'm glad you're going to be okay."

With that, Lucas slipped into a painless sleep, not prepared for the nightmares that would follow him as he did so.

_"I said look at me, goddamn it!" the man yelled angrily, forcing Lucas's face to his own. Lucas bit back a whimper of pain as the man's fist collided with his nose. The soft cartilage broke on contact. Lucas closed his eyes as blood began seeping from the injury, adding insult to the man. He felt the fist collide with this already aching chest._

_"Go. To. Hell," Lucas bit out, trying to get away from the pain. _

_"Tell. Me. Where. The. Base. Is."_

_Each word was accompanied by a flailing fist or sharp kick._

_"Never," Lucas hissed, trying to keep conscious. It was a battle that he was losing rapidly with each hit. _

_"Then you can watch your family die," the man growled._

_The scene changed. He was in Tree Hill. Peyton was by his side. The man was in front of them, a gun aimed at Peyton._

_"NO!" Lucas yelled, just as the man pulled the trigger._

_The scene changed again. He was back in the cave, with the man standing above him._

_"If you make one false move, I will kill you and everyone around you," he hissed._

_"Then kill me," Lucas said boldly back. He didn't care about living anymore. He hurt too damn much. He just wanted his family to be okay. For Peyton to be okay. _

_The man grinned devilishly and shoved Lucas hard into the cave wall. Lucas's knees buckled as the wounds in his back reopened and blood began seeping out. Agony over came him and he passed out. _

_The scene was different once again when Lucas opened his eyes. The man was standing in front of him, but they weren't in the cave. Rachel stood behind them, a begging look in her eyes. Derek was asleep behind her. _

_"You," the man said, pointing to Rachel. "Out."_

_"You're not taking her," Lucas said firmly._

_The man smirked, raising his gun. He aimed it past Lucas and at Rachel. Lucas found himself frozen in place as the man's finger tightened around the trigger and the bullet came out of the barrel. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as Lucas watched helplessly, unable to save Rachel as the bullet hit its mark, in the dead center of her forehead._

_"NO!" Lucas screamed, as blood seeped out of the wound and she fell to the floor. "No!"_

_His scream became a broken sob as the man smirked even more evilly and aimed the gun at a sleeping Derek._

_"Don't," Lucas begged. "Please, don't. Take me instead. Please."_

_"I have orders," the man said firmly. He pulled the trigger again. _

**"NO!"**

"LUCAS!"

Nathan's yell yanked Lucas from his nightmare-filled state and into consciousness again. His head spun as he struggled to pull himself upwards, forgetting for a moment about all his injuries. They reminded him in a hurry.

"Shit," he managed to get out, just before the pain overtook him and forced him back down.

"Luke?"

Nathan was very concerned, that much was obvious. Lucas looked at his brother, relief entering him for a moment that the younger Scott hadn't had to go through the pain Lucas was currently going through, didn't have to see the nightmares that Lucas did.

Agony was Lucas's second emotion. His heart ached both physically and emotionally about his last nightmare. Seeing two of his closest friends dead was more pain then he could handle. Seeing Peyton die like that was beyond description.

Lucas tried to fight back the tears of reliving his nightmares, but failed miserably. He knew Nathan was anxious for an explanation for Lucas's yell and sudden fear, but he just didn't have it in him a the moment to talk about it.

"Lucas?"

Someone else called his name, but it wasn't Nathan. Lucas opened his eyes, not realizing that he had closed them again, and saw Nathan standing behind Derek. Derek. He was alive. _Thank god,_ Lucas prayed silently.

"I- where's Rachel?" Lucas asked, knowing that seeing his comrade and friend would help.

Pain marred Derek's features, as well as Nathan's.

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

**

* * *

**

The River Court

**Tree Hill, North Carolina**

**5:30 PM**

Peyton stared up at the stars, feeling better then she had in a long time despite the recent news. Lucas was alive, and although a lot worse for wear, was going to live. She could hardly wait to see him for the first time in six months. He was merely twenty-eight hours away.

Peyton had nearly fainted with relief when she had heard that the rescue mission was a success. That relief had turned to horror mere seconds later, when Haley had told her that Rachel had died saving Lucas's life. Peyton was caught between wanting to scream for joy that Lucas was alive and wanting to scream in horror that Rachel was dead. She might not have liked Rachel a whole lot in high school, but she was one of Brooke's friends. And Brooke meant a lot to Peyton. The news would kill the bubbly brunette, Peyton was certain.

Haley and Peyton hadn't exactly told Brooke that her friend was dead. They hadn't, in fact, talked to Brooke in over two weeks, except to tell her that Lucas was alive two days ago over the phone. Brooke was flying in from New York today to catch the flight out to Baghdad, Iraq tomorrow.

"Hey."

Peyton started at the sudden voice, feeling a wave of guilt and sadness wash through her as she turned to face Brooke. Her friend looked exhausted.

"Hey."

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

Brooke caught the lie in Peyton's voice. Her expression softened into a look of concern.

"What's the matter?"

"I-I have something I need to tell you."

"What?"

The suspicious look was in Brooke's eyes. The last time Peyton used these words, it had been about Lucas cheating with her behind Brooke's back.

"It's about Rachel."

Suspicion turned to fear and horror as Brooke caught the meaning in Peyton's tone and stance.

"W-what about Rachel?"

Peyton could hardly bear to look at Brooke as she said the next words.

"She's dead."

* * *

**I'm going to end it here. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update, but I haven't had the drive to finish this chapter in a long time. I will update sooner this time. There's only going to be about two to three more chapters in this story.**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing this story. It means a lot to know you guys really like it. Continue to read and review, please!**


	16. Infections

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters. **

**Author's Note: Who can hardly wait for season 6 to premiere tomorrow?? I know I can't wait!! **

**Author's Note 2: No song lyrics to report in this chapter.**

**Author's Note 3: So sorry for the wait in between updates. I have had a ton to do and haven't really felt like writing this story.**

**Fallen Hero**

**Chapter 16**

**Iraq**

**Time Unknown**

It was dark and wet. There was a strong smell of blood and decay, one that made him want to hurl. The ground was strewn with rocks, dirt, and pools of blood. The sight and smell combined made his stomach revolt violently. He probably would have, if he hadn't had his mind on other things such as the big hulking man driving his boot into his ribs.

"You're going to die," the man hissed. "You're going to die and no one is going to know where you are."

"Go to hell," he spat back weakly. He could barely breathe. His chest ached, his lungs burned, and he couldn't feel his nose anymore. He was inhaling weak gasps through his mouth. This method wasn't exactly great, for his mouth was filled with blood that he had to spit out on the ground.

"Only when you tell me where the nuclear base is," the man snarled.

"Why on earth would I know where that is?" he grumbled. He earned a sharp punch to his stomach. What little air he had in his lungs was now gone. Blackness was beginning to creep up on him.

"You know. And you sure as hell are going to tell me or your precious little girlfriend and your family are all going to die one by one and you're going to watch the light fade from their eyes," the man whispered, punching him hard.

Lucas woke with a start. The dream had been a memory, one that had happened on one of the first few days he had been held hostage in the cave. He had forgotten most of the minor details, such as the smell of blood and the way the cave looked, but the memory of the beating he had been subjected to was still there. His stomach rolled violently as the scent of that awful place came back to him with perfect clarity. He barely had time to think before what little food he had eaten the night before started climbing back up his throat.

"Everyone you know is going to die," an all too familiar voice hissed.

Lucas looked around, startled. All thoughts of throwing up disappeared. The surprise was turned to horror as his gaze rested on the doorway. The man from his nightmares stood there, grinning evilly.

"No," Lucas whispered, blinking and shaking his head. "You can't be here. You're in jail."

"You're going to watch the light fade from their eyes," the man whispered, his voice getting steadily softer. "And then, I'm going to kill you."

"No!" Lucas yelled.

**Iraq**

**Time Unknown**

"Lucas?"

Lucas's eyes flew open and his breath came in fast, shallow pants. His eyes were huge with fright.

Nathan was instantly alarmed at the sight of his brother. He yelled for help and then set about calming his brother down.

"Easy, Lucas. You're okay. Calm down," he said over and over again, until General Clearwater came racing in.

"What happened?" she demanded, instantly coming over to her patient's bedside.

"I don't know," Nathan admitted. "One minute he was fast asleep and then the next, he was wide awake and freaking out."

"He's having a panic attack," General Clearwater said, her voice grim. "Shit. I'm going to have to sedate him for a little while."

"Can we not do that?" Nathan asked. Lucas was already starting to calm down, though he was still shaking.

"W-what's going on?" he managed to ask. His voice was just as weak and shaky as he looked. "Why is everyone in here?"

"You were having a panic attack, Lucas," General Clearwater said softly. "Were you having any dreams or anything like that before you woke up?"

"I-I don't remember," Lucas said, looking away from the both of them. Nathan instantly picked up on his brother's lie, but he knew that Lucas would probably never admit it if he did.

"Is anything bothering you?" General Clearwater pressed.

Lucas shook his head once. Nathan didn't miss the flash of pain that crossed his brother's face as he did so.

"Do you feel up to any visitors? I know of a couple of people who want to see you," she said.

"I guess," Lucas said softly.

Nathan felt extremely sorry for Lucas; he looked like hell yet he still wanted to see Peyton. Of course, Nathan thought, Lucas didn't actually know that Peyton was here.

Peyton, Haley, and Brooke had all arrived in Iraq the night previous. Brooke had been in tears because she had found out about Rachel. Only Derek had been able to comfort her. Haley had been extremely worried about both Nathan and Lucas and only after Nathan had assured her that Lucas was doing as well as he could all things considered did she calm down. Peyton hadn't said three words to anyone since the plane landed. None of them had been able to go see Lucas the night before; General Clearwater had kicked them out of the hospital claiming that Lucas needed sleep.

"Nathan, will you come with me?" General Clearwater asked.

Lucas looked briefly at Nathan, before staring back at the window. He seemed distant, as though the recent panic attack had set him apart from the world.

"Sure," Nathan agreed, when no other answer was appearing from his brother. He got up from the hospital chair he was sitting in and followed General Clearwater out to the waiting area. She paused right by the door to the room where Haley, Peyton, Brooke, and Derek were in.

"Nathan, I wanted to talk to you alone before you go back to Lucas or we let others talk to him," she said, brushing her long black hair out of her face nervously.

"What about?" Nathan demanded, trying his hardest not to sound hostile. It was hard, considering that he wasn't the kind of person to beat around the bush.

"I think Lucas might be developing an infection in the bullet wound in his stomach. I was checking the bandages last night and there are the early signs of infection."

"What might happen?"

"Lucas isn't strong enough to fight it right now, even with the help of antibiotics. He has been through too much over the past six months and his immune system is extremely weak. If the infection gets any worse, there isn't anything we can do."

"What can you do now?"

Nathan attempted to keep the fear out of his voice and failed miserably. General Clearwater shot him an understanding look.

"We can keep the wound as clean as possible. I'm going to change the stitches on the wound and make sure there aren't any bullet fragments still in the wound. Then I'm going to have to find out what's causing the infection in the first place."

"How long will all that take?"

Nathan knew he was failing at trying to sound nonchalant, so he just gave up the pretense.

"Anywhere from one day to a week," General Clearwater said. "In the meantime, we're going to move Lucas to the most sterile room we have in the hospital. Only one person is going to be allowed in the room at a time aside from a nurse and they're going to have to be in hospital garb. It's going to be a pain in the ass, but it's the only way we might have a fighting chance at saving him."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Just tell the others to be extra careful when they're around him for now and tell them why. If you all have any questions or problems, just tell me."

She made to walk away, but Nathan stopped her.

"Is the infection causing Lucas's nightmares?"

General Clearwater sighed and started fiddling with her hair again.

"I'm not sure, Nathan. What I've heard about what Lucas went through is enough to give even the most hardened man nightmares. The infection probably has something to do with their intensity, but I don't think they're the main cause of them."

"Is there anything we can do to stop the nightmares?"

Nathan had hated seeing the look of pain and fear on Lucas's face every time he had a nightmare and the helpless feeling he had had every time that had happened.

"You can try to get him to talk about them, but other then that, you're just going to have to let him cope with them on his own. Nightmares are apart of life, even the awful ones," she said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a couple of other things I need to attend to right now. Only one person at a time to see Lucas, remember that."

"I will," Nathan promised.

General Clearwater offered him a slight smile before turning and disappearing through the double doors they had just come through, leaving Nathan to go to the waiting room.

Lucas was staring off into space, thinking about his latest nightmare. He barely registered the pain that kept crashing through him every time he inhaled or exhaled. He didn't even notice when the door to the room opened. The only thing he noticed was the slight cough and the shy voice that he had missed so much over the last six months.

"Hi," Peyton said.

Lucas turned to her, ignoring the throb in his head.

"Hey," he returned.

**The reunion will wait for the next chapter. I will update as soon as possible. It will be sooner then 32 days, I promise. : - )**


	17. The Nightmare That Came True

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters. **

**Author's Note: This is the second to last chapter. I hope I do everyone justice in these final moments.**

**Author's Note 2: Hope you enjoy the Leyton reunion. I was tearing up through part of it; so personally, I think it's pretty good.**

****

Fallen Hero

**Chapter 17**

**

* * *

**

Baghdad, Iraq

**Time Unknown**

In the past sixth months, Lucas tried his hardest to hang on to every waking memory he had of Peyton from the way she looked, to the way she smelled, to the way her beautiful green eyes lit up when she saw him. Looking at her now, he realized just how pathetic his memories were. They didn't do the real Peyton justice. Granted, this Peyton looked a hell of a lot sadder then the one in his memories and looked as though she hadn't slept in months, but she was still beyond description in her beauty.

"How're you feeling?" she asked, leaning up against the doorway. She looked anxious, relieved, and uncomfortable all at the same time.

"I've been better," Lucas admitted. He winced as he attempted to shift his weight. Peyton picked up on it.

"What's the matter?" she asked, looking torn between staying by the door and coming over to him.

"Nothing," Lucas said quickly. Pain marred his tone, giving away his lie. Peyton gave him a worried look.

"That doesn't look like nothing," she said softly.

"I'll live," Lucas muttered, wincing again as he struggled to sit up.

"Luke," Peyton said in an exasperated tone. She gave up standing by the door and walked over to his bedside, sitting down in Nathan's chair. "Will you give it a rest? I already lost you once. I don't want to do that again."

Tears were now visible in her eyes and Lucas immediately felt guilty.

"Hey," he said softly as she looked down at her knees. She looked back up at him, biting her lip to keep herself from crying. It made Lucas want to break down and start crying himself, the look was so heartbreaking. "You're not going to lose me. I promise you that, Peyton."

"I've missed you so much," she said, her voice breaking. Lucas reached out with his good hand and slid it under hers.

"I've been through hell," he said quietly. She looked at him, guilt flooding through her eyes. "Not because I was a prisoner of that… evil, but because I was away from you, Peyton. That was so much worse then what anyone could do to me. I missed you more then I can say, Peyton."

"I know," she whispered, tears streaking down her face as she gripped Lucas's hand for dear life. "I felt the same way. I couldn't do anything when I didn't know where you were. And when I found out that you were missing and possibly dead…"

She trailed off. Lucas gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I am so sorry," he whispered, not able to bring himself to look away from her even though he wanted to so badly. "I'm sorry that I left, I'm sorry that Rachel died for me, I'm sorry about all the hell I put you through…"

He trailed off, unable to continue. Tears started burning the back of his eyes and it took all his will power to look away from her.

"Lucas, I don't care about all that," Peyton said softly. Lucas acknowledged her words by blinking once. "Look at me."

He did so willingly, taking in her tear stained cheeks, the dark circles underneath her eyes, and the unkempt look of her hair.

"All those things you went through, all the things you are still going through," she said. "None of that matters, as long as you're alive and safe. You're going to get through this, Lucas."

"I love you so much," he whispered.

"I love you too," she whispered back.

**

* * *

**

One Month Later

**Tree Hill, North Carolina**

**2:06 PM **

Lucas winced as he shifted to get more comfortable on Nathan's car's backseat. Peyton cast him a sympathetic glance, taking his good hand and squeezing it gently.

"We're almost home," she said.

"They really need to get these damn potholes fixed," Lucas muttered back, wincing as the car bounced up and down again.

"At least you're not on the plane anymore," she pointed out. There had been extremely high winds and a lot of turbulence at the Iraqi airport when they had taken off. To say the least, it was a very rocky start.

"Yeah, thank god for cars," Lucas joked, closing his eyes as they went over another particular nasty pothole.

"You're going to be okay," Peyton promised, giving his hand another squeeze.

"I know I will as long as I'm with you," Lucas replied, offering her a smile. She quickly returned it.

"We're turning off now," Nathan warned from up in the front seat. Haley sat beside him, her arm entwined around his.

"Thanks for the warning," Lucas said, just as they made a sharp left. A wave of pain crashed over him. It was getting better then it was a month ago.

In the month since Lucas had been rescued and Rachel had been killed, a lot of changes had happened. Lucas was able to walk short distances now, Brooke's fashion line had taken off, Nathan had got drafted to the Seattle Seahawks, and Haley had started writing songs again. Peyton was going to start a record company when Lucas returned home from Iraq.

Some things had changed for the worse, though. Lucas's nightmares had gotten to the point where he barely slept anymore. General Clearwater was killed trying to rescue three badly injured men from the field. Derek wasn't coming home and instead he was going back out to the battle with a new troop despite Peyton and Lucas's pleadings to come home. The last had been three weeks ago; they hadn't heard from Peyton's brother since.

"We're here!" Haley said as Nathan stopped the car. She sounded oddly cheery as the engine was cut off.

Haley and Nathan got out of the car first. Haley opened the door for Lucas while Peyton helped him out of the car. He was extremely embarrassed about having to be helped out of the car.

"I can do it myself," he growled as Haley reached over to steady him.

"Sure you can," Haley retorted. "You're not invincible, Luke. It's about time you start realizing that."

A faint smile tugged at Lucas's lips as he remembered the same words she had thrown at him when they were seniors in high school about his heart condition. She smiled as well, also remembering the same scene.

Lucas pulled himself out of the car without too much trouble. Standing, however, was a different story. The sudden change in position after several hours of sitting made him extremely dizzy.

"Whoa," Peyton cautioned, wrapping a secure arm around his shoulders as he started to pitch forward.

"Thanks," he murmured, wincing as she accidentally bumped his back with her elbow. Even though it had healed, it was still extremely tender.

"Sorry," Peyton apologized, catching his wince. "I didn't mean to."

"It's okay," he said, resting his head on hers. "Do you mind if we get to the house anytime soon? I'm kind of tired."

He said this last part in a whisper, not wanting to spoil the mood between Nathan and Haley, who were chatting excitedly about something back at the trunk of the car.

"Yeah, sure," Peyton agreed.

Lucas wrapped his good arm around Peyton's shoulder as he limped down the sidewalk. Peyton wrapped her arms around his waist, letting him lean his entire weight on her if necessary. They both were content to be in each other's arms again.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked softly, kissing her hair. Peyton blushed and smiled up at him.

"I'm just thinking about how happy I am to be here with you again and that you're alive," she said, stretching up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips. They both broke away smiling at each other.

"Ah, young love," Nathan said, his voice pretending to be awed as he came up behind the couple, carrying Lucas's well beat-up duffel bag. Somehow, they had recovered the old piece of crap and all of Lucas's possessions, one of them being the John Steinbeck novel he had lost.

"Way to ruin the moment," Peyton said, sticking her tongue out at him. She would have thrown a punch at him, if she hadn't been so unwilling to move from Lucas's side. She was still scared that if she let him go, then he would disappear from her again.

"He's just jealous," Lucas said, pulling Peyton even closer to him. He seemed to have no qualms about her being so close to him and his serious injuries. He felt the same way Peyton did about letting her go. "I have got Blondie and he doesn't."

"You caught me, big brother," Nathan said, grinning. Lucas smiled as well, before resting his chin softly on Peyton's head. She smiled as well. This was why they had been willing to go through so much for each other. So they could have this feeling of love and contentment that could only be found in each other's arms.

"I love you," Lucas whispered in Peyton's ears, placing his bad arm on her shoulder and gently turning her around to face him. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Peyton murmured back, stretching up to kiss him as he leaned down to kiss her.

The passionate moment was ruined by the sound of a gun clicking into place behind them.

**

* * *

**

One Week Earlier

A huge windstorm had started up right outside the high security prison, making visibility impossible, even inside the prison.

This was what one particular prisoner was waiting for. He knew all the guards would be bunkering down somewhere safe. He knew where all the weak points in his cell were. It was time to act. He needed to get to the United States, soon. He had heard from one of the guards that the main patient at the hospital down the road was going home next week. He couldn't let that person return to a normal life.

**Two Hours Later**

The windstorm had died down. The guards came out of their bunker to make sure all the prisoners were okay.

One of the newer guards had the job of checking to make sure all the prisoners in Row A were still there. Row A held the worst of the prisoners and it always gave people the creeps to go down it.

The guard was humming to himself, checking off the cell numbers as he went by. He was almost to the end when he noticed that one of the doors had been pulled off of its hinges. _Shit,_ the guard thought. He raced down the hall, but he knew that the prisoner was gone before he reached the cell. Sure enough, the man that had been in the cell was gone. There was nothing the guard could do.

He pulled out his walkie-talkie anyway, hoping that if he reported it now that they would be able to catch the prisoner before he got too far away.

"Guards to cell 19912A! Prisoner 523456 has escaped! Repeat: Guards to cell 19912A! Prisoner 523456 has escaped!"

**

* * *

**

Present

Lucas slowly stepped in front of Peyton as he faced his kidnapper and torturer. This was directly out of his nightmares.

Behind him, Peyton let out a shocked gasp and Haley let out a tiny shriek of horror. Lucas doesn't have to turn around to know that his best friend is covering her mouth, Nathan is trying to figure out a way to get out of this, and Peyton is freaking out and trying her hardest not to show it.

"What do you want?" Lucas asked, pulling himself up to full height in front of Peyton, regardless of the pain that shot down his back as he did so. He tried to sound as menacing as possible, but fear crept into his voice.

"You know what I want," the man said, a sadistic smile on his face. "Your nightmares have told you so."

Lucas bristled. _How does he know that?_ He thought. _How?_

"You're not going to hurt them," Lucas said firmly, sounding much braver then he felt. "I'm not going to let you."

"Then I'll just kill you," the man said, aiming the gun at Lucas's head.

Peyton screamed as a gun went off.

"NO!"

**

* * *

**

Hehe, evil cliffhanger!! The next chapter will be the final chapter. Sad… I'm going to miss writing this story but I'm excited to finally finish it. Read and review, please!!


	18. The Fairy Tale Ending

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**One Tree Hill **_**or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: Nearly a year after I started this story, it has finally come to a close. I am sad to see it end, yet glad that I have finally finished it. I hope you all enjoy this final chapter of **_**Fallen Hero**_**. **

**Author's Note 2: Try to catch the season 5 reference in the final paragraph!!**

**

* * *

**

Fallen Hero

**Chapter 18**

**Tree Hill, North Carolina**

**4:30 PM **

In one split second, one can have innumerous amount of thoughts about anything. In the one split second it took from the bullet to leave a gun, to the point where it made contact, Lucas had at least two hundred. Most revolved around Peyton and what would happen to her after he was gone. They had just found each other again; what kind of pain would she go through to lose him after everything they had gone through? And what of Nathan and Haley? They needed him to be there, when things went wrong between them or if Jamie ever needed anything. And Brooke… he still needed to talk to her, to thank her for all her help during the months he was in Iraq. She had saved his life once already. And then his thoughts were back on Peyton. He would miss her so much. He wasn't ready to die.

It takes one split second only for one's life to change. One second one can be safe in the arms of the one they love, the next, that one person could be facing down a barrel of a gun. Peyton wished that this was all a nightmare, that this wasn't happening, and when she woke up, none of the past seven months had happened. She closed her eyes hopefully, but when she opened them again, Lucas was still looking down the barrel of a gun. _No, not now! Not after everything we've been through,_ she mentally screamed. _I can't lose you, Lucas! Not after my father, Rachel, Ellie, my mom… No, I won't lose you too!_

Time seemed to go in slow motion, the way it did in movies, as Lucas took what he thought would be his last breath. The POW camp leader's finger tightened on the trigger. There was a resounding _boom_ as a bullet exited the gun and connected with flesh and bone.

Blood covered the sidewalk. Peyton screamed again as the POW camp leader fell to the ground, dead.

Lucas looked in horror and relief from the dead body up to the front porch step. Who had killed Lucas's tormentor?

Peyton let out a scream as the man fell to the ground, dead, but then sagged in relief as she realized that Lucas was still alive. Who had fired the gun, though? She looked to the front porch step and nearly laughed out loud. Of course.

Derek slowly lowered the still smoking gun to his side, setting it down on the porch railing. He was certain the man was dead.

"Derek?"

Lucas couldn't have been more surprised. Wasn't Peyton's brother supposed to be on the front line, defending his country? That's what he had told Peyton and Lucas nearly two weeks ago.

"What are you doing here?"

Peyton sounded as surprised as Lucas felt. Apparently, she hadn't known about Derek's lie either.

"Luke, you okay?" Derek asked instead.

Lucas nodded, even though he was as far from okay as one could get without being committed. His head ached, his chest throbbed, and there was the pressing question of how the POW camp leader got out of jail.

"Luke?"

Peyton's softer voice, accompanied by a gentle pressure on his hand made him look up into her bright green gaze.

Lucas took a deep breath to steady himself.

"You okay?" he asked instead of answering her question. He felt a surge of relief when his voice didn't shake.

"N-yeah," Peyton said, smiling slightly. Lucas couldn't help but smile slightly in return.

"I'm going to call the police," Derek announced, breaking the happy moment between Peyton and Lucas. "And then I'm going to call Colonel Patterson and tell him that I found his escapee."

"Wait," Lucas said as the older man turned to go inside.

"What?" Derek asked.

"Why are you here? Truthfully?"

"I've heard things about this guy," Derek said. "You aren't the first person he's done this to. And you aren't the first to escape. The last time the Army caught this guy; he escaped and killed the person he had tortured in the first place. I could- wouldn't let him get away with it again."

Lucas couldn't think of anything to say, so he just nodded his head once in thanks. Derek offered a slight head bob back to say that he understood.

"I don't know about you, but near death experiences make me hungry!" Nathan joked. "Anyone want some food?"

That broke the slightly awkward silence that had fallen over the group. Haley was staring at Nathan in shock, while Derek offered a small smirk. Lucas, however, had other plans.

"Would you like to come with me to the river court?" he whispered to Peyton. "There's something important that I want to do."

"Yeah, sure," Peyton agreed, curiosity lighting up her eyes. She still looked freaked out as they turned and walked slowly back down the sidewalk.

"Hey," Lucas said, pausing when they hit the corner. Peyton was literally shaking beside him. He turned so he could face her properly.

"What?" she asked, barely stopping her voice from cracking.

Taking her face in his hands, he said, "It's going to be okay. I promise."

With that, he kissed her for the first time in seven months. It was a long, passionate kiss, one that summed up everything they both were feeling without either of them having to say a word.

* * *

The sun was setting over the river, turning it beautiful shades of red and gold. For the first time since stepping off the plane, Lucas felt like he was truly home, sitting upon a picnic table at the river court with his arms wrapped around the girl he loved most in the world. The moment couldn't have been more perfect.

"Peyton?" he said, his voice barely louder then a whisper.

"Yeah, Luke?"

She moved her head around so her brilliant green eyes were staring into his. Lucas felt as though he could drown in his gaze.

"No matter what happens a week, a month, or even a year from now, when I look back on this moment, I will always remember it as one of the best as my life," he said. "You want to know why?"

"Why?" she asked breathlessly.

"Because I am with you, I'm alive, you're alive, and we're both going to be just fine," he said.

"I love you, Lucas Eugene Scott," she said, looping her hand with his.

"I love you, too, Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer," he replied, leaning down to kiss her. Their lips touched, gently at first, but deepening as the moments passed. It became more passionate, more in-depth to the way they were feeling. There wasn't anything Lucas would trade in the world for this kiss.

All too soon, it had to end.

"I've missed you," he said. "I've missed everything about you. Your laugh, your eyes, your kisses… your chicken-y legs, your smile, the way you give your heart so willingly… I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Lucas," she whispered back. She leaned up and kissed him again.

And so, as the two lovers were reunited with each other, the day came to a close. Stars fell over the river court, and somewhere, millions of miles above them, a comet streaked across the sky, lighting up the entire world for the briefest of seconds.

_Finis_

**Okay… there is the way too short ending of **_**Fallen Hero**_**. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed the story. I hope I did all of you justice.**

**There will be a sequel to this one… more information about that will be coming soon. The title will be **_**Nightmares**_** if that gives you any indication as to what it's going to be about. **

**As always, read and review!! **


End file.
